Trials
by Golem XIV
Summary: A collection of one-shots, disconnected drabbles and maybe some short stories about the trials through which Changeling's and Raven's relationship goes. Mostly ideas that occurred to me while writing "Gifts" and that didn't make it into that story, but are hopefully worthy of publishing. Rated M for (somewhat mild) lemons.
1. Close for Comfort

**Author's Notes:**

 **General notes:** This will be a collection of one-shots, disconnected drabbles and maybe some short stories (two, three chapters max). At first it will consist of some ideas I had while I was writing _Gifts_ , that didn't make it into the story because of plot issues, rating conflicts or other problems. Later I will be including anything and everything that pops into my head and that I consider noteworthy enough to publish.

Reading _Gifts_ will probably not be necessary to enjoy the stories, though it is recommended since I will be making small references to what happened in it. If the reference is critical to the plot, I will try to explain it, but I must say that I hate being patronizing and explaining everything to my readers, so please bear with me if I sometimes seem obscure. Don't be shy about PM'ing me about anything you don't understand or reaming me out in a review.

There will be lemons here – hence the M rating – but I will try to keep them smut-free. I don't feel comfortable writing it that way, though I must admit I did enjoy reading some of them.

The update schedule will be spotty. There may be two updates one week, then several weeks with nothing. It will all depend on the ideas I have and what else I may be working on at the time.

The timeline corresponds to _Gifts_ , i.e. way after Tokyo. Beast Boy is eighteen, Raven is twenty, the rest twenty-ish. Robin is Nightwing, Beast Boy is Changeling. This is mostly to reflect a slightly more mature setting and behavior.

The main pairing will be exclusively Changeling and Raven, because it's that way in _Gifts_. I warmed up to them quite a bit while writing _Gifts_ and it is the main reason I'm doing this. So you may say I turned to the Dark Side. Other pairings will be canonical, namely RobStar, KF/Jinx and (please don't hate me) Cyborg/Sarah Simms. Some non-canonical friendships may appear, such as Jinx/Rae, as explained in _Gifts_.

 **Notes on the story:**

 _Close for Comfort_ is the story of a first kiss. This was the original version that should have been included in _Gifts_ , but I finally discarded it and replaced it with the Nevermore one. It still stayed with me as an interesting option and I wanted to include it here just so it would leave me alone and stop whirling around in my mind.

* * *

 **Close for Comfort**

"Too slow, sweetie!" shouted Red X as he jumped out of the way of a clutch of starbolts hissing his way.

"I love your eyes when you're angry!" he said teleporting right beside Starfire and following his words with a kick that sent the alien girl spinning, falling to the ground. A crate, encased in black mist, sped towards him. He avoided it smoothly, then shot off an X-shaped projectile towards Raven. A black disk formed in front of the missile and swallowed it, vanishing afterwards. Several more crates flew at him, missing as he phased out again.

He appeared on the ground, just in time to see a green gorilla drumming its fists on its chest menacingly and advancing on him. He smirked beneath his mask and launched an electrified, crackling X towards the green ape. Changeling morphed into a kangaroo, supported himself on his tail and used both hind legs to bounce the projectile back at Red X. Surprised, the thief barely dodged his own device and had to phase away immediately to avoid a green utahraptor bounding towards him at inhuman speed.

As he appeared again, he had to duck two wing-dings that Nightwing sent after him, then rolled forward under Nightwing's flying kick. Getting to his feet, he jumped over a sizzling blue bolt and nimbly climbed the scaffolding, throwing himself in the air and catching hold of a horizontal bar, spinning around it like a gymnast, avoiding a pair of starbeams that were seeking him out.

He frowned under his mask. _The kids are learning. A year ago I'd have all of them incapacitated by now, but I haven't managed to take even one of them down yet!_

He swung hand over hand under the scaffolding, like a monkey, Starfire flying after him, her eyes glowing in anger. Two X-shaped, razor-thin blades appeared in his hands and he sliced the tubes of the scaffolding as he passed them The scaffolding gave way and the entire upper level collapsed on top of Starfire, burying her under the debris.

 _That should keep her busy for a few seconds,_ he thought, concentrating on the next target. An EMP grenade flew at Cyborg. He dodged it, but the blast managed to cripple temporarily his electronics. The huge half-robot swayed, paralyzed, then crashed to the ground.

"Good try, but not good enough!" Cyborg growled as he rose to one knee, sparks still coursing over his body, his internal repair systems rerouting power and information through redundant channels, nanobots already at work repairing the burned conduits. Still, he was slowed down and for the next few seconds out of the fight.

Changeling morphed into a leopard and lunged at Red X, his paw clawing at the thief. Phasing out again, Red X cursed softly. _So many phasings are draining the energy of my suit! I'll have to fall back to invisibility._

He dodged Nightwing's kick and blocked his staff, striking at his midsection. Nightwing spun, avoiding the strike while his fist went in an arc aiming at the back of Red X's head. Red X ducked and the fist whistled over, but Nightwing's left leg rose and slammed into his shoulder. Because of the position they were in, the strike was awkward and inaccurate, but it still lifted Red X off his feet and tossed him a few feet away.

He rode the kick, bent his body backwards and somersaulted, trying to get some distance between himself and the Titans. He activated his cloaking system, trusting the invisibility to protect him as he selected his next target.

Changeling quickly transformed into a rattlesnake and used the viper's heat-seeking sense to locate the cloaked thief. He quickly morphed into a hummingbird, almost invisible in the gloom, and zoomed after him.

Red X's eyes widened behind his mask as a Sasquatch appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Instinctively he jumped up, avoiding the gnarled arms closing in on him, placed his hands on Changeling's shoulders and somersaulted over him, bending and then releasing both legs to impact into the creature's back, pushing it forcefully and using the impulse to jump away from danger. Surprised, Changeling turned into himself, staggering forward straight towards Raven who was closing in to help him.

Red X twisted in the air and saw his chance. He fired a missile from his left hand and then landed, activated again his cloaking and quickly sought the best route to leave the warehouse where they were fighting. The missile he launched unfurled itself and the large, red X-shape struck Changeling in the back, throwing him at Raven, while the arms of the X closed around them, immobilizing them in a strong, unyielding grip. They fell down, Changeling on top of Raven, her breath exploding from her lungs as they struck the floor.

Nightwing rushed towards them, scanned them quickly and seeing they were unharmed, turned his attention back to the battle.

"Up by the window! He's getting away!" Cyborg shouted, recovered, his implant eye covering EM frequencies from microwave to gamma rays. There was no way for Red X to hide from _that_.

"Hang in there, you two!" Nightwing shouted to Raven and Changeling. "We'll be back for you!" Followed by Starfire and Cyborg, he left the warehouse in hot pursuit of Red X.

Raven and Changeling, pressed together and bound in the coils of Red X's trap, watched them go.

After a few seconds of silence, Raven spoke.

"Gar, can you morph into something smaller? You're smothering me!"

"Sure, mamma. Sorry about that!"

He started his transformation, then with a cry of pain he morphed back into himself.

"Ouch! It almost tore the skin off my back!"

"Let me see if I can phase out."

She whispered her mantra and her body started losing substance, then she also yelped and her form solidified.

"Whatever Red X is using as adhesive on this, it's not glue. This is some kind of molecular bonder. We won't be able to get rid of it that easy."

"Um… so what now?" Changeling said, trying to keep his nose from touching Raven's. He finally relaxed his muscles and allowed his cheek to press into hers, a strange sensation pervading him as he felt the touch.

"I guess we'll have to wait for Cyborg," she said. "In the meantime, would you mind turning over? I can barely breathe with you on top of me."

"Well, how about that?" he said, annoyed. "I understand it bothers you, but why is it all right for _you_ to squash _me?_ "

"Because I'm at least twenty pounds lighter than you are, Changeling!"

"Girls!" he grumbled under his breath, then spoke louder. "All right, on the count of three, twist left. One, two, three!"

They twisted, trying to turn, unsurprisingly in opposite directions. While their bodies were held tight by the restricting fabric, their heads moved and their lips brushed against each other. Changeling felt an electric current go from his lips down his spine and back up to crash into his brain.

"The other left, you idiot!" Raven hissed at him, startling him out of the daze he found himself in. His nervousness made him react angrily.

"Oh yeah? What makes _me_ the idiot? Was it not _your_ other left?"

A flash of white fire sparked in Raven's eyes, then quickly extinguished. She took a deep breath.

"We'll gain nothing by fighting. You turn to your right, I will turn to my left. You do know what your right is, don't you?"

He frowned. "That was uncalled for, Raven. This is my right!" he said, flexing the fingers on his right hand, grasping at something soft and warm.

He saw the white flame ignite in her eyes again. _Why is she angry again? Did I confuse my right and left?_

Again he bent the fingers of his right hand to make sure it _was_ his right hand. Again he felt something warm and soft under his hand. Raven's eyes blazed. Her teeth clenched and a soft "Garfield…" hissed between them, loaded with menace and promise of great pain.

He swallowed, desperately trying to understand. He concentrated on his right hand, making triply sure it was correct, finally realizing what was going on.

His right hand was trapped, stuck by Red X's fabric, someplace around… Raven's hip. A bit… behind. He swallowed again, closed his eyes and tried to keep himself from blushing.

"Uh… Rae, sorry, I… didn't realize… I didn't mean to… Sorry!"

The white blaze left Raven's eyes. She could feel he was sincere and wasn't trying to cop a feel. He hadn't even realized where his hand was. Until now.

 _Well, I just opened his eyes to the fact,_ she thought, smirking at herself.

"It's OK, Gar. It was an accident. I do trust you will behave gentlemanly in this situation."

"Of course, Rae. You know I'm not a creep."

She smiled at him. "No, Garfield. You may be immature, insufferable, childish and stupid at times, but you're not a creep."

He grinned at her. "Why do even your compliments sound like insults?"

She looked away, aware of a painful stab in her guts. He was right. It was completely uncalled for. He was behaving irreproachably, given the circumstances. It was _her_ who was cranky, unreasonable and just plain cruel.

"I… I'm sorry, Gar. I… I didn't mean to…" _Liar. You did mean to. You always mean to_ , a merciless voice said in her mind.

"It's OK, mamma. Don't sweat it. Let's turn over. On the count of three… One, two, three!"

They twisted, turned and managed to switch positions, with Raven now on top.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much. Am I heavy?"

"Not really." He actually found the pressure of her body on top of him… pleasant. It was confusing.

Raven let her head fall on his shoulder. An electrifying zing coursed again through his body.

"Comfy?" he asked.

"As much as one can be in such a situation," she replied.

"OK, let me know if you need me to move a bit."

She nodded, strangely content. She actually felt very comfortable. For some reason his closeness was relaxing, calming, soothing. She could smell his scent. It was unusual, wild, animalistic, but far from unpleasant. She could also sense his soap and shampoo, the deodorant and after shave, but they were minor components, his own musk easily dominating them. She felt a bit light-headed.

He could feel her breath tickling his neck and throat. At first it was slightly irksome, but soon it became a source of pleasure. He found himself waiting for her every exhalation so that he could feel the warm air caressing his neck again.

After a couple of minutes, he squirmed slightly. She glanced at him, noticing his forehead was beaded with sweat. Her empathic sense told her he was extremely uncomfortable for some reason.

"What is it, Gar? I can feel something's bothering you."

"Um… No, nothing. I'm fine."

She frowned. "Don't lie to me, Garfield."

"It's… not important."

"Not important? You're sweating and squirming!"

He sighed, obviously embarrassed. "It's… my hand. I feel it burning. I want to move it, but…"

She frowned at him, but her sense told her that again he was being sincere.

"All right, then. Move it if you can."

"Just a little. I swear, I'm not trying to…"

"Enough, Garfield!" she said, more sharply than she wanted. "Do what you must."

"OK, OK, just don't get mad at me!"

"I won't. Do it already."

He tried to move his hand but the bonding fabric kept it stuck fast in place. He tried pushing, pulling, moving sideways, all to no avail. In the end he pressed down, noticing that this finally gave him some room to wiggle. He was able to move his hand slightly, relieving the burning sensation, suddenly aware again of the soft flesh under his fingers. Three of them had travelled downwards and were now touching her skin, below her leotard. He blushed fiercely.

Raven cleared her throat.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Uh… I…" he stammered, then recovered. He grinned wryly. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But it was not my intent."

She looked at him coldly. "That is the only reason why you still have hands."

He gulped and made himself relax. They waited.

She was too busy wondering about her reaction to this entire situation to notice the tension slowly growing in him. After a couple of minutes, though, his feelings were pouring out strongly, in spite of the valiant efforts he was making to try to subdue and control them. It finally reached her consciousness, almost bursting upon her. She lifted her head and looked at him, their noses almost touching.

"Now what?"

Instead of answering, he lifted his head slightly and pressed his lips over hers, his tongue gently probing against her lower lip.

Startled, she didn't even pull her head away. She just gasped, which gave his tongue the opportunity to sneak into her mouth and start playing inside.

She fought desperately for control, but for some reason she was unable to move her head back and away from the kiss. She felt herself slipping, a maelstrom of unknown emotions twisting and sucking her into its dizzying spirals. Her mind floundered like a drowning man, trying to swim back to the surface and breathe, trying to tread water and keep her head above it. But the vortex of ecstasy pulled her under, the wonderful waves closing over her head, her chest expanding with desire, her nostrils flaring and her eyelids fluttering before falling down completely over her eyes, her sight now obscured, his scent and the feel of his lips and his tongue the only things left in her universe, responding to his kiss the only thing that mattered.

The fluorescent tubes hanging from the ceiling above started exploding. The small windows high up the walls of the warehouse burst outwards with a shower of glass shards one by one. Crates, boxes and loose items started flying across the warehouse, slowly whirling in a tornado centered on them, picking up speed until they were a blur. Scaffolding flexed with a shriek of protesting metal, rods and tubes bent beyond the material's tolerance to break with a loud _pang_ and join the rest of the debris swirling around them.

Two crates collided, breaking open and spilling most of their contents, adding to the mass of swirling bits and pieces. But some of it landed on them, startling them both back into the real world.

She finally managed to jerk her head back and break away from the kiss. White fire blazed in her eyes as she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself and reestablish control. She tried to speak, choking a couple of times, until she finally managed to do it, her voice shaking with repressed anger.

"What in the Nine Hells do you think you're _doing?_ " she said, her tone rising. "First you _grope_ me, then you _kiss_ me?" she was shouting now. "Who do you think you are? Who do you think _I am?_ " She was almost shrieking. The crates, boxes, barrels and assorted whatnots that had fallen around them now started exploding in showers of wood chips.

"I know you're angry, Rae!" he said quietly, cutting her off, making her stop her ranting and listen, amazed, to his soft tone and the certainty in his voice. "But I will not apologize. I wanted to do this for a while now. Whatever you do to me, it was worth it."

He closed his eyes, awaiting what will happen. He was fully conscious of the fact that she could teleport him to some very unpleasant places, or simply rip him apart into very tiny pieces. He failed to observe the white flame extinguish in her eyes, replaced by something that was never there before.

 _Azarath Metrion Zinthos!_ he heard her whisper. He flinched, expecting pain to start any moment, but instead he felt the bonds holding them weaken and disappear. He opened his eyes to see the last remainders of the red fabric being eaten away, disintegrated by a black mist.

He felt her weight coming off him as she rose and turned her back to him, dusting off her cloak.

"Raven?" he asked. "You could do that? Why didn't you…"

She finished the dusting off and straightened up, her back still turned to him. She pulled up her hood and allowed herself a small, mischievous smile before putting on her usual expressionless mask and speaking to him over her shoulder.

"Let's go find the others."

She floated out of the warehouse, leaving him staring after her.


	2. Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

This scribble was removed from the final version of Chapter 5 of _Gifts._ I felt it did not really belong and was unnecessary. It's still a nice, fluffy piece, so I included it here. For those that haven't read _Gifts_ , at this point in the story Garfield and Raven are getting much closer to each other, but their true feelings have not blossomed yet.

The piece was practically written already, it only needed some minor adjustments and polishing. That is why the update is so quick!

As a side note, the scene that gave Garfield his nightmare also gave _me_ nightmares. When I had Changeling present Raven a copy of _Crime and Punishment,_ I immediately remembered that scene and this short drabble started forming in my mind.

Because of the somewhat obscure reference, it may not be to everyone's liking, but what the hell.

* * *

 **Nightmare**

Sleep was torn from her almost painfully as she shot up in her bed, sensing his anguish resonating throughout the silent Tower like a scream.

She ran from her room, barefoot, still in her sleeping garb, uncaring. She reached his door and slammed her fists desperately on it, feeling the waves of sorrow and anguish coming from inside, threatening to overwhelm her, the walls and doors doing nothing to attenuate them. He didn't hear her or didn't want – couldn't open. She chanted her mantra and a black portal appeared. She stepped through it.

"Garfield, what is it?" she asked, looking for him, finally seeing him huddled on his bunk bed, shaking, sobs wracking his body. A book was on the floor beside him.

"Garfield!" she cried as she ran to him, her own anguish at seeing him like this almost unbearable. She sat on the bed beside him, wrapped her arms around him, trying to calm and comfort him.

"Gar, what happened?"

He just kept sobbing, his body shaking. She looked at the book that was laying on the floor beside the bed. It was a paperback edition of _Crime and Punishment._ She closed her eyes, understanding.

"Garfield, it was only a dream. A nightmare. It's not real. Shhhh. It's just a nightmare because of what you read in the book."

"It... hurts. I can _feel it!_ The whip... The _stick!_ " he said, his words interspersed with shuddering sobs. "The poor animal… How _could_ he?"

"Garfield, it's just a book, it affected you, you had a nightmare! It's not real, it was just a dream, just a book. Shhhh. Calm down, I'm here, don't worry. Calm down."

She held him, rocking him gently, whispering comforting words to him until his sobs receded, the shudders that convulsed him becoming fewer and farther in between. His breathing calmed, his heart slowed down.

She held him for a while longer, feeling the anguish and sorrow ebb and drain away as his breathing became more regular. She stroked his hair, kissed the top of his head and hugged him close, feeling him slowly come out of it. Her own clenched muscles started relaxing.

"Are you OK?" she asked him, looking at his tear-streaked face.

He nodded. "I… I'm sorry, Rae. The book… I bought a paperback for myself… I wanted to see why it was so… why everybody considered it so good… and I forced myself to remember all those strange Russian names… and it was difficult, and I didn't like it at first, because the man was not bad, but he wanted to do a bad thing, and he suffered… But then I started reading… about the mare…"

"Fifth chapter? The dream? When he dreams about the poor mare trying to pull the cart?"

He lifted his eyes and looked at her.

"I… I was… I couldn't stop reading… then when I finished, I was so disgusted I threw the book away… I tried to forget about it, but it kept going around my head… I couldn't sleep, couldn't calm down!"

She hugged him harder. "I know, Gar. It is a very powerful scene. I can see how it could affect you. It's your affinity to animals."

"I… managed to calm down, I don't even know how… I fell asleep finally… and then I was there!" he said, forcing his words through a constricted throat. His gaze fell on the book resting on the floor and he shuddered as he remembered.

"I could _feel it,_ Rae. I could feel every stroke of the whip, the stick, the crowbar. I _was_ that mare, Raven. I wanted to pull that cart so badly… so that there would be no more whipping… but I couldn't. I tried, I really did, but I was old, and weak, and I couldn't move. I tried to defend myself, but I didn't have the strength. And the whipping went on, on my back, on my sides, my face, my eyes… and then the crowbar…"

"It's just a book, Gar. You just have a wild imagination. Calm down, it's just a nightmare…" she whispered, knowing that the words were unimportant, but that he needed her close, needed her comfort, her reassurance, her love.

"Rae?" he whispered, his head buried in her shoulder.

"Yes, Gar?"

"Could you… please… stay?"

"Of course" she said, hugging him close.


	3. Insecurity

**Author's Note:**

This is a lemon. A sex scene. If it hurts your sensibilities, please do not read further.

That said, I tried to make it as erotic as I could while keeping it as smut-free as possible. I wrote lemons before, notably one scene in _Match_ , but they were short and embedded into a long chapter. This is the first dedicated, purpose-written one that I do.

I hope I succeeded in my intent, but you, gentle reader, will be the final and only judge of that. So I would be grateful for any comments, positive or negative.

* * *

 **Insecurity**

Raven propped herself on her elbow, looking at Changeling, her leotard unzipped and pulled down revealing her shoulders, her arms out of the sleeves. She gently stroked his hair, then cupped his chin, trying to get him to look her in the eyes.

"What is it, Gar? What are you afraid of?"

"Nothing" he said, avoiding her gaze, turning his back on her. "I'm just… sleepy. Not in the mood."

"You can't lie to me, Gar" she said, feeling his anguish and fear, not understanding where it came from. It was the second time that she tried to get intimate with him. As before, it started well, their kisses slowly building up passion in them, their hands exploring more freely, their breaths quickening, he moaning softly while she gasped quietly as they felt each other, their bond mirroring the feelings, each touch of their lips reflected on both, each caress extracting gentle whimpers and hissing breaths from them.

And then the dark cloud of anxiety covered them, turning into fear, threatening to burst into panic. The passion withered, the pleasure blown away like autumn leaves, dry and cracked, leaving behind the bitter aftertaste of unfulfilled desire, the questioning, the doubts.

She laid beside him, embracing him from behind, closing her eyes to feel him fully.

"Please, Gar, I want this… I never wanted it with anyone else. Why are you denying it to me? Why are you depriving us of it?

She felt the guilt and shame eating him, but the anxiety and fear were stronger.

"I've… never done it before" he whispered.

A small spark of anger flared in her. "So? Neither did I. That's the dumbest excuse I've ever heard. And it's wrong, too. It's not the reason. I can feel it, Gar. What is it?"

He turned around to face her, lifting a hand to touch her cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you" he said.

That, at least, was true. She now recognized that a good part of his fear and anxiety was for her. She sighed and kissed him gently.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit afraid myself. But I'm willing to face it and to go through it."

He buried his face in her hair, taking a deep, shuddering breath, remaining silent.

"Gar, you can't have your concern for me prevent you from loving me" she said a bit sharply. He just embraced her harder, without answering.

 _What is he afraid of? It is not only fear of hurting me. There is something below that… something deeper… Oh, Azar, it can't be._

She chuckled. He felt her mirth.

"What?"

 _It is. It has to be. He thinks he won't be good enough for me. Men! Are they all such idiots?_

 _Oh, Garfield, you sweet, sensitive, insecure fool. Why do I love you so much? Let's see how can I get you to snap out of it._

"Garfield, my love, it will happen, sooner or later. I'd rather it happens with you."

It took a couple of seconds before the implications of her words hit him. He frowned and lifted his head, looking at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been to Nevermore. You've met Purple. But you should know she's not too… choosy… when her cloak darkens."

It was his turn to prop himself on an elbow. He glared at her.

"Raven…"

"You know, the other time when Vic was with me in Nevermore and I was whipping my aspects into shape, she looked certainly interested in him. I mean, I had to call her out on it, warn her that I wouldn't tolerate –"

"Victor?" he hissed. " _Victor?_ "

"Well, he's almost like a brother to you… It wouldn't be too much –"

His eyes went from emerald to dark malachite. Something in his mind snapped and a strange feeling enveloped him. A growl came out of his throat.

"You are _mine_ , Raven! I'm not letting Cyborg, or Adonis, or Malchior, or whoever take you from me!"

He mashed his lips on hers, surprising her with his roughness. His left hand buried its fingers in her hair, pressing her head closer, his right hand ripping the fabric of her leotard as he pulled it down.

 _I wanted this to be gentle,_ she smirked to herself. _But I'll take it rough if I have to. Azar, it feels so good…_

She let herself go, wincing at the slight pain of his bites on the most tender parts of her body, gasping with the pleasure it brought her. _Oh, Gar, please don't stop now._

He didn't. The last remains of her clothes were ripped away from her as his hands bent her body, controlling her, making her submit to his whims, an irresistible force that brought indescribable pleasure. Her breath rasped in and out of her lungs, her eyelids fluttered, her nostrils flared as she breathed deeply of his musk. She gave up herself fully, not caring about anything else but the feel of his hands, his lips, his teeth.

Pain lanced through her. She whimpered, a small tear forming in the corner of each eye. He froze, feeling her pain, his roughness suddenly forgotten, his concern for her and fear to harm her crashing down on him.

"Gar, it's done, it's over, don't worry about it, don't stop, please, it's done" she droned on, desperate for him to go on, to drown her in ecstasy, to take her and make her forget about everything but the two of them here, now.

He was gentle again. His arms loosened their grip a little, his lips touching hers. She bit his lower lip gently, making him groan with pleasure. Their kiss deepened.

He was aware of her pain, their bond mirroring their sensations in each other. He waited a few seconds for it to recede, then started moving slowly, gently. The pain flared a bit, but the pleasure soon drowned it. He kissed her again, needing to taste her, smell her, listen to her quick breaths and her heart hammering in her chest. His movements became faster. Their bond led them both as he guided himself just the way she wanted, as she moved just the way he craved, their rhythm synchronized without them needing to think about it, becoming faster and deeper, their senses overwhelmed by the double ecstasy, their souls overflowing with doubled emotions, all thought cleared from their minds, only one purpose in their lives, to give pleasure to the other and in doing so take pleasure for themselves.

He threw his head back and snarled, as she gasped and her nails scoured his shoulders, leaving long gashes that quickly filled with blood. For a moment they remained unmoving like living statues, joined in soul and body, minds blank and muscles clenched, eyes rolled up, the release roaring over them and through them, their bond reflecting it from one to the other, heightening each other's climax, making their bodies tremble before slowly relaxing, gently falling from the heights they reached into each other's arms, their breath slowing down, their hearts still pounding, their ears buzzing.

He tried to rise from her, but she held him harder.

"Stay" she whispered.

Her eyes still closed, she concentrated on feeling the gashes she left on his shoulder. He was just becoming aware of them. She released her soul-self and repaired the torn tissue, the wounds closing and healing, only a covering of slowly hardening, clotted blood over them.

He was still in her, ready for the next round. _From what I know, this is somewhat unusual,_ she thought. There was also a dull ache down there. She concentrated her healing power on herself, making the ache recede, leaving only the growing pleasure of feeling him inside.

He felt it, too. He lifted his head, looked at her.

"Rae…"

"Hush, Gar. Let's just say I had to get you to snap out of it somehow."

He kissed her.

"Are you always this manipulative, love?"

She looked at him under her lashes.

"When it's a question of having my way with you? Always."

He grinned sheepishly. "I was stupid…"

"Yes, you were. You were also wonderful. Now shut up. We have some catching up to do."


	4. Confessions

**Author's Notes:**

This story came to me on the spur of a moment. It was not something that I had planned for _Gifts_. I just woke up last morning with the idea, sat down and quickly wrote it. I am actually very happy how it turned out, though maybe it could have been a bit longer. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

 **Confessions**

"I dunno, Chrome Dome" Changeling said, uneasy at the turn that their conversation was taking. "I'm not really sure I wanna talk about it."

"I'm not interested in the juicy details, Grass Stain!" Cyborg said. His face was initially serious, but then a huge grin quickly spread from ear to ear. "Nah, scratch that. I _am_ interested. But right now I want to know if everything's OK. It's important."

"Of course everything's OK, Bolt Bucket!" Changeling almost snarled, then pulled himself together. "It's just that it's… personal. I don't like talking about it. It feels like…"

"You're snapping at me, Evergreen. When was the last time you did that? I _know_ it's personal. I _know_ it's not easy to talk about it. But it is important for me to know that you two are having a good, healthy relationship. And sex is a very important part of it."

Changeling still gazed at the floor of the Ops room where they were sitting. He wished for Nightwing to show up, for one of the girls to float in, for a meteor to strike and obliterate the Tower and all of Jump City, anything to interrupt this topic.

"How 'bout y'all tell me, an' ah make y'all non-dairy waffles for breakfast?" Cyborg asked, his eyebrow waggling.

Garfield looked at him, scowling, another snarl building in his throat. Then he realized that Cyborg was teasing him and he relaxed, chuckling.

"OK, OK, I'll tell you, but if it leaves this room I swear I'll pour sand into your joints while you sleep!"

"Don't even _joke_ about that" Cyborg growled, suddenly frowning, remembering when Changeling did exactly that a few months ago. He was still suffering the consequences. "Now spill!"

"Yes, we are… doing it. OK? Is that enough? Can we change the subject and start on the waffles?"

* * *

"No, it's _not_ enough. How often? Is it good? Are there any problems?" Jinx insisted, ignoring the tomato-like color that suffused Raven's usually pale features.

"What _is it_ with you, Jinx? I said I don't want to talk about it!" she shouted, then took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Look, I know your intentions are good, but please understand that –"

"No, young lady. _You_ understand. You are my best friend. I don't have to be an empath to see how deeply you love him. But relationships are not only based on love. I should know, if anyone" she leered.

"You know, I almost miss the times when your questioning would make me start breaking things!" Raven growled. "No, there are no problems. And yes, it is… good. I guess."

"What do you mean, _you guess?_ Is it good or not?"

"How do you expect me to make a comparison? I'm sorry if I lack your abundant experience!" Raven shot back sarcastically, not caring if she hurt her friend. She was being pushed over the edge.

"Well, since you're making me say it, I wasn't aware of any… sounds… coming from your rooms at night!"

Raven gaped at her. "Sounds?"

"Oh, gimme a break, Rae! Don't tell me you can't hear Starfire's moans every night! And don't tell me you can't say when Wally's visiting me, I know I'm a screamer!"

Raven's eyes blazed white.

"Moans? _Screams?_ You… you…" she closed her eyes, desperately fighting down the rage, understanding perfectly where it was coming from.

 _If only I hadn't melded with them, I would have a short and sharp chat with Grey and Red. I hate it when they gang up on me!_

Suddenly ice cold, she unclasped her cloak and let it fall to the floor.

"You want to know if it's good? I'll show you _good!_ "

She quickly unzipped her leotard and bared the upper half of her body. Several bite marks were visible on her neck, shoulders and breasts.

She covered herself again, zipped up the leotard and picked up the cloak, clasping it around her shoulders.

"Happy now?" she asked an amazed Jinx.

* * *

"Does _this_ tell you something, Bolt Bucket?" Changeling asked angrily as he removed the top of his Doom Patrol uniform and showed several sets of deep scratch marks on his shoulders. "Some of us don't _need_ to moan or scream!"

Cyborg whistled softly, then chuckled. "Why didn't you get her to heal that?"

Changeling put his uniform top back on.

 _She did. But if I tell him, he'll ask when, and how many times, and… it's none of his goddamn business._

"No. I like it this way. It reminds me."

Cyborg grinned. "That's my lil' buddy! Attaboy!"

Changeling rolled his eyes and snorted, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of masculine pride from rising up in him. He covered it by scowling at Cyborg and growling at him.

"If you're finished, can we have those waffles? I'm hungry!"

"Just one more thing, Greenbean!"

" _Now what?_ " Changeling exploded. "Didn't you get enough kicks?"

* * *

"OK, OK, calm down. This is why I'm asking. You're snappish, and you're pale, even for yourself, and I'm worried. Are you doing it regularly? How often?"

"Jinx…"

"I'm not asking you for lurid details!" Jinx said, exasperated. "I'm just concerned and wondering if you are doing it regularly or if you only did it once and then something happened to scare you away from it!"

"We do it… regularly" Raven forced the words through her clenched teeth.

"How often?" Jinx demanded mercilessly.

Raven mumbled something.

"Can't hear you. How often? On average?"

Raven's teeth ground against each other again. "Three times, give or take."

Jinx frowned. "At least it's regular. Three times a week is a bit too few and far in between if you ask me."

Raven looked at her, surprised.

* * *

"Whatcha mean, 'a week', Rust Brain?"

"I mean 'every other day', Pea Soup. Wasn't that what you said a moment ago?"

"Stop trying to pull my leg, Pail-Head! I said three times _a night!_ "

* * *

Jinx blinked. She was speechless for a few seconds, then her signature sneer reappeared on her face, widening.

"So _that's_ why you're floating everywhere. I guess walking hurts."

The tomato shade of Raven's face started darkening into beet. Her anger started bubbling up again.

"Just because the two of us are inexperienced it doesn't give you the right –"

Jinx cut her off. "Whatever it is you're thinking that I'm doing, I'm not. I'm just finally understanding why you're paler than usual and why your temper is even shorter than normal!"

"What do you mean?" Raven snapped.

"My point exactly. I mean that I'm deliriously happy for both of you, but you should also try and get some sleep!"

* * *

"But we _do_ sleep, Rust Brain!" Changeling replied heatedly, his face dark green. "You know, couple of hours doing it, couple of hours sleep, and so on."

Cyborg shook his head, still having a hard time believing what he'd been hearing. "That's a grand total of four hours' sleep every night, Evergreen! That's not enough!"

"Well, tell that to our Fearless Leader and make him move the training sessions for a more convenient time!" Changeling barked out, losing his patience.

"OK, OK, Grass Stain! I won't squeeze you any more. But do try to slow down a bit and get some more sleep!"

"Good! Is that it? The third-degree's done?"

Cyborg looked at him reproachfully. "Yeah, it's done. Go get some sleep."

"I'll be back for the waffles!" Changeling said gruffly, then stood up from the couch and walked to the door.

"Gar!"

Almost at the door, he turned around.

"What?"

Cyborg's face was split in a huge leer.

"So, what's her favorite position?"

* * *

"So, how big is he?" Jinx smirked, her eyes insinuating thousands of naughty things.

"That's _IT!_ " Raven shouted. "Since your next question will probably make me banish you to the Seventh Pit of Hell, I'd better go to my room and try to forget that this conversation ever took place!"

She turned around and pulled her hood over her fiercely blushing features, floating quickly out of Jinx's room.

 _Azar, but she can drive me insane! Even worse than… he could._

The thought of him calmed her fury, but sparked something else in her. She opened herself to their bond and sensed where he was. He was also agitated, she could feel it.

 _Good. It seems we both need some unwinding._

Guided by their bond, they soon met in a hallway. Their lips came together, as if attracted by magnets. They kissed for a long while, finally parting, breathing heavily.

"You won't _believe_ what Jinx just made me go through!"

"Can't be worse than what Chrome Dome did to me!"

"Whose room is closest?"

"Yours. Let's hurry."

"Screw that!" she said and opened a portal with a wave of her hand, dragging him through into the cool gloominess of her room.

Inside, their lips met again, while their hands were busy ripping clothing off each other. In a few seconds, they fell into her bed.


	5. Antidote

**Author's Note:**

Here's another spur-of-the-moment story, not something that was planned for _Gifts._ I must say I'm quite happy with it and I hope you will be, too.

* * *

 **Antidote**

Cyborg smiled at his friend as he entered the Ops room, still yawning.

"Mornin', Greenbean! Bit early for ya, isn't it?"

"Hey, Chrome Dome! Yah, I guess so. Couldn't sleep, didn't want to wake Rae."

Cyborg's eyebrow went up.

"Everything OK?"

Changeling smiled. "Stop fussin' over us, Rust Brain! Yeah, everything's OK. She looked a bit… tired last night, so I let her sleep longer."

"Way you two've been goin' at each other, doesn't surprise me!"

Changeling frowned at him. "All right, Bolt Bucket! Give it a rest already!"

"Dream on, Evergreen! It's just too good to let it go!" Cyborg replied with a grin.

Changeling grumbled his annoyance in response, going to the fridge and looking for his tofu eggs. Suddenly he straightened up, his ears perking. Cyborg looked at him, surprised. Changeling was alert, but his eyes were far away, as if he was listening or smelling something and was completely focused on it.

He turned to Cyborg, his eyes now alarmed, concerned.

"Where's the calendar?"

"On the wall behind you" Cyborg answered, mystified by his friend's behavior.

Changeling whirled, looked at the calendar and hissed. " _Crud!_ "

He turned back to Cyborg and spoke softly but urgently.

"Evasive action, Chrome Dome!"

Cyborg shot up to his feet, immediately understanding the danger. He strode towards the side door, but Changeling's words stopped him.

"Too late! She's in the hallway! Antidote! _Antidote!_ "

Cyborg almost ran to the small kitchen, opening the fridge and starting to search frantically in it. Changeling sat on the couch and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as he could. The door hissed open.

" _GARFIELD!_ "

* * *

"How many _times_ do I have to tell you _NOT TO SQUEEZE MY TOOTHPASTE TUBE IN THE MIDDLE?_ You know I _hate it_ when you do that!"

"Sorry, Rae" came the sheepish answer, but it only served to feed her fury.

"Don't you 'Sorry, Rae' me! I have told you a _dozen_ , a _HUNDRED_ times _not to do it!_ Why can't you get it through that _thick skull_ of yours?"

He hunched his head between his shoulders, but it did nothing to diminish the fury descending on him.

" _Well?_ Are you going to say something for yourself or are you going to sit there all innocent-like?"

He opened his mouth to apologize again, but she furiously cut him off.

" _I don't want to hear it!_ Don't try to weasel out of it! Next time bring your _own_ toothpaste and _jump_ on it for all I care! But when you use _my_ property, I expect you to show some respect for _my_ preferences! Am I making myself _clear?_ "

"Yes, Rae" he replied in a small voice, trying to make himself as tiny and defenseless as possible, avoiding morphing into any animal, knowing it would only bring additional ire crashing down on him.

"Don't speak to me!" she raged. "Don't you _dare_ speak to me! Your actions speak for yourself! Do you think I didn't see? Do you think I could miss it? That I wouldn't _mind?_ "

Cyborg was working feverishly in the small kitchen, cringing at the avalanche of invective his friend was submitted to, knowing that the only way out was for him to hurry up with what he was doing. _At least she doesn't break things any more._

He lifted his gaze for a moment and noticed Starfire and Nightwing standing in the doorway, astonished looks on their faces. Starfire had both her hands covering her mouth.

Cyborg caught Nightwing's eye, then quickly jerked a thumb at the calendar on the wall as explanation. Nightwing nodded and gently dragged an unresisting, almost petrified Starfire away.

"Dear Dick, what is the occurrence that is happening? Why is friend Raven having so much of the anger for friend Changeling? Oh, X'Hal, please do not tell me that they are doing the finishing of their togetherness!"

"Calm down, Starfire. It's not that. Don't worry. It's… something else. I'll explain, but we should go back to my room for a while."

The sounds of Raven's temper, worked up almost to a frenzy, could still be heard in the hallway.

"… that you left the toilet seat UP! _AGAIN!_ I swear by Azar, if I _ever_ catch you doing that _ONE MORE TIME_ , I'll –"

Cyborg steeled himself for what he had to do. He had faced aliens, monsters, demons, animated concrete slabs, living oozes and sentient electricity, all without flinching. Right now he was terrified.

"Uh… Breakfast, little sis?" he interrupted her.

" _YOU!_ " she shrieked as she whirled to face him. "You'd better explain to me why did Garfield have _BEER ON HIS BREATH THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST?_ "

"He only had one, little sis…"

"Only one? ONLY ONE? _HE IS UNDER AGE!_ " Her eyes blazed with white fury as she floated closer to Cyborg, for the moment forgetting about Changeling. "They could have ARRESTED YOU BOTH!"

The thought was so ludicrous that Cyborg made a big mistake. He chuckled and spoke. "Come on, Rae! There is no cop in Jump City that'll –"

The look in Raven's eyes made his face go ashen. "Sorry, Rae! You're right! You're absolutely right! I was foolish! It will never happen again! I'm sorry! Have some pancakes!"

"PANCAKES? Do you think I care about _PANCAKES_ after what the two of you _DID TO ME?_ "

"I made them especially for you, little sis, with chocolate sauce…"

Cyborg ladled out an enormous amount of hot, thick, aromatic, freshly made chocolate sauce over her pancakes, allowing the delicious aroma to pervade the room. Raven's nostrils flared.

"Do you think you can _buy_ yourself a way out of this one, Victor Stone?"

"Of course not, little sis, I just wanted to make a nice breakfast for you. Why don't you just try it and see if it's good? There's more chocolate sauce if you want."

Raven's nostrils flared again, taking in the exquisite smell of freshly made pancakes and chocolate. She sat down at the counter in front of the plate, holding the knife and fork in her hands.

"Thank you for the pancakes, Victor, but don't think for a minute… Mmmmm… don't think for a minute that I'll… This is _good_ … I'm still angry at both of you, you know… Mmmmm… What was I saying…? Oh, I _love_ pancakes with chocolate… Is there any more of that sauce?"

Cyborg ladled out another generous helping, slowly and surreptitiously exhaling in relief and stealing a glance at Garfield. He was wiping his brow with his sleeve and running a finger along the collar of his uniform. Noticing Cyborg's glance, he grinned at him.

Raven was silently devouring the pancakes, until she finally pushed her plate back with a satisfied sigh.

"I'll need double training time to work out all these calories. But it was worth it!" she smiled gratefully at Cyborg. "Thanks a lot for the pancakes, Vic!"

"You're welcome, little sis. Anytime."

She stood up and floated over to Changeling. She sat beside him, snuggling into him.

"How're you feeling, Rae?" Changeling asked, placing his arm around her shoulders.

She burrowed deeper. "A bit tense. Victor's pancakes helped. Now I want to cuddle."

"Tense? Is it that time of the month?"

She looked up at him, surprised.

"How could you tell?"

"Just a hunch."


	6. Defiance

**Author's Note:**

This is another scene that was removed from _Gifts_ , specifically from Chapter 9. I did have to rework it heavily, as in rip its guts out and replace them completely, leaving only the setting from the original idea. Everything else is new. I hope you will like the end result.

* * *

 **Defiance**

"Y'know, Rae, I was thinking –"

She lifted her head and looked at him, her puzzlement flowing from her through their bond. Changeling grinned in amusement, feeling her emotions change to irritation as she realized what he was about to say.

"It is doubly surprising, Gar" she said, her annoyance allowing her sarcasm to come out. "It's not something that you do commonly."

He dismissed her barb with a smile. "And what's the other surprise?"

"That you choose to do it now" she whispered as she kissed him below the jaw, wringing out a shudder and a quiet groan from him, silently inviting him to get back to the lovemaking he had just interrupted.

He propped himself on an elbow, to see her better and to avoid her intents of derailing him.

"You really should."

She sighed, reached for him and tried to embrace him and get him to forget his stupid idea.

"No. I will not. Now shut up, come here and love me."

He bent his head closer to hers and stole several small kisses from the corners of her eyes and the corners of her mouth, deftly avoiding her lips that sought him eagerly.

"Maybe I can convince you?"

She gave him a crooked smile. "You? Convince me? I'd love to see that!"

"If I promised to make it up to you…" he said as he trailed his hand over her body. Her quiet gasp and the feeling that flooded him through their bond told him he was off to a good start.

"I could, like, do this…"

"Mmmmm."

"And this…"

"Ahhhhhh…"

"And even this" he said, his voice muffled as his hands, mouth and teeth went to work seriously on her.

At first it was pleasant, almost exhilarating to sense the effect of his attentions on her. Soon, however, it became increasingly difficult for him to control both his own rising desire and her own need, bursting into him through their bond, making his head spin and his body tremble in response to the shivers he awoke in her. But he continued with a single-mindedness of purpose that surprised what little remained of his quickly receding rational self, until her resistance finally broke.

"All right!" she whispered hoarsely. "You win! I'll go… to Garths'… birthday!"

Her hands suddenly gripped him with surprising strength, her arms pushing him away and on his back as she rolled on top of him and straddled him. Her eyes were burning red, two fiery red slashes shining above her eyebrows. She grinned at him hungrily.

Having achieved what he wanted, he released the steel grip he held over himself. He gave in to his passion, bared his teeth and snarled at her in response.

* * *

"Happy birthday, dude!" Changeling told Aqualad, slapping him on the back. "How you been doin'?"

"Raven, Gar! Great, thanks!" Aqualad replied as he gave Raven a welcoming kiss on the cheek and turned to Changeling to shake his hand. "I heard about the two of you getting together! Congratulations!"

Raven looked down, a slight blush appearing on her features. As Changeling registered the feelings coming from her he had to fight to keep a frown from forming on his face.

He managed to keep the sudden rush of dislike and animosity towards Aqualad from his voice. "Well, yeah, thanks, y'know how it is. Listen, Garth, don't wanna keep ya away from the other guests!" he said somewhat woodenly. "We'll go hit the punch bowl and then I'll see if _my girlfriend_ wants to dance!"

Aqualad didn't notice his sudden coldness or the slight emphasis on those two words, but Raven did. It was directed at her in any case. She sensed Garfield's feelings and smirked. He grabbed her arm and almost dragged her away.

"You're jealous!" she whispered to him, trying not to chuckle at what she felt in him.

"Of course not!" he grumbled, knowing full well that she could sense how untrue those words were.

"Gar…"

"All right, so I am!" he huffed. "It doesn't help that you and Kori get all star-eyed whenever you're near him!"

"He _is_ handsome, you know."

He turned towards her, folding his arms across his chest, glaring at her. She placed a hand over her mouth as her shoulders started shaking slightly. Finally, she couldn't resist any more and she embraced him and buried her face in his shoulder, trying to smother the laughter that shook her.

She could sense his irritation and jealousy fade, banished by the love and happiness she was pouring into him, but he kept the frown on his face.

"Are you trying to manipulate me again, Rae?" he asked quietly, putting as much disdain into his voice as he could.

She looked at him, love and mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Maybe I am!"

His frown finally melted and he chuckled, placing his arms around her and whispering in her ear.

"So, you want me to rip off your clothes and make love to you right here?"

"Maybe I do" she whispered back.

He took her face in his hands and looked at her.

"Then you only have to ask, love."

"I know" she told him with a wicked smile, then wrapped her arm around his. "Let's get to that punch bowl!"

They reached the punch bowl and Changeling poured two glasses, offering her one. She took it and sipped as he spoke.

"Rae, I wanna do something and I'm gonna need your help" he grinned at her. She felt the expectation build up in him and looked at him quizzically.

"You probably don't know since you avoid going to these parties, but there's a tradition of choosing the Best Couple of the Party" he said. "For the last two years, it went to Kori and Richard every time. I think we should break their winning streak!"

She frowned. "Gar, first, you know I don't like drawing attention on myself, or on ourselves. Second, I couldn't care less –" she stopped herself, sensing his feelings.

"I do care, love."

"Why? What's so important about it?"

He sighed and looked down.

"Rae, I know you can feel how much I love you, how much you… mean to me. But this is something else." He looked up and met her eyes. "I want the world to know, Raven. I want them all to see how… _proud_ … I am that you are my girl. I want…" his gaze dropped again and his voice fell almost to a whisper. "I used to climb to the roof of the Tower in the middle of the night and scream ' _she loves me!_ ' at the ocean, because I felt I would burst if I couldn't tell it to someone. I would turn into a hawk and fly up, screech it to the sky, morph into an elephant and trumpet it…"

She watched him, amazed at what she was hearing. It was a facet of him that was completely new to her. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek.

"Gar, I… I didn't realize. I'm sorry. Of course I'll –"

"Hey, lovebirds! Congrats! Treating each other well?"

They both whirled, annoyed, to see who was interrupting them. Changeling frowned, while Raven's eyes became icy.

"Hello, Roy. Have some punch and go away" she growled at him.

"Easy there, Raven. I wanted to apologize to you. I came out like a jerk on Gar's birthday."

Her eyes thawed as she realized he meant it. Changeling felt her anger dissolve and his own frown vanished.

"As long as you have learned something from that night, I forgive you, Roy" she said in her normal monotone.

"You bet I did" he said, grinning. "I ain't gonna be so stupid to provoke _you_ again"

"I hope you're not going to be so stupid to hit on Starfire, either!"

Changeling choked on his punch. "He did _what?_ "

"Oh, yeah! That was the dumbest night of my life!"

"Dude! Did Richard find out?"

"I'm standing here talking to you, ain't I? Good thing Star's smart and she kept quiet. But I see she did tell you, Rae."

"She did. Incidentally, I may have forgiven you, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to call me 'Rae'."

Speedy grinned. "Thanks for the warning. In a few years, maybe?"

"Make it a few hundred."

"As long as there's hope for me yet" he said, still grinning. "Anyway, allow me to congratulate you two. I'm really happy that you're together!"

"That's very sweet of you, Roy."

"Yeah, I'm all like that!"

Raven spied Jinx at the other end of the room. "If you guys will excuse me, I want to say hello to Jinx!"

They both nodded and looked after her as she floated off.

"You are one lucky dude, Gar!"

"I know, man."

They chatted for a few minutes, when suddenly a mixture of anger, shame and regret coming from Raven burst over him. He gasped and looked at where she was.

"How _could you_ , Jinx!" he heard Raven cry and saw her turn, open a portal with a wave of her hand and disappear through it.

"What the hell…?" Speedy said and grabbed a dazed Garfield by the arm, dragging him over to Jinx.

"She's sloshed to her eyebrows" Speedy growled. "Find out what happened, I'm going to find Wally!"

Jinx saw them and stumbled over, grabbing hold of one of Garfield's arms to support herself.

"Hey there, bunny! Your girlfriend'sh a prude!"

"What're you talking about, Jinx? What did you do? Where is she?"

"Gone to shulk, I guessh" she hiccupped. "Didn't like that I told eeeeverybody how mush of a good time you two're having!"

To all the misery that was pouring into him from Raven, now he felt his own heart sink. "Jinx, you didn't!" he said hoarsely. "You know how she is! You know how much it will hurt her!"

"Why?" she squinted drunkenly at him. "Whash sho bad 'bout it?"

Changeling felt an urge to hit her. Luckily, Kid Flash appeared, concern on his face. "What happened?"

"Take her away and sober her up, Wally. I have to find Rae." He morphed into a sparrow and followed Raven.

* * *

Of course, it had to be the roof.

He approached her, feeling every one of her sobs as a stab in his heart. He sat cross-legged beside her, lifting an arm to embrace her.

She pulled away. " _Don't touch me!_ "

"Rae…"

" _Stay away from me!_ Don't you know what I am? A _demon slut!_ A _nympho witch!_ "

Blind rage gripped him when he heard her words and felt the pain behind them. He fought it down with a supreme effort.

"Rae, you can't –"

" _Leave me alone!_ How can you be with someone like me?"

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. " _Because I love you!_ " he shouted in her face. "Because I don't give a fuck what a bunch of jealous bitches think about you!"

She squirmed, trying to release herself from his grip. She pushed him away. He stared at her, his anger turning into ice.

"Do you want to hit me? Will it make you feel better? Maybe you want to throw me into the sea, like you used to?"

Her eyes narrowed, a white flash kindling in their violet depths.

"Oh, now you're angry at me? Angry because I love you? Maybe you're ashamed of me? Of our love?"

Her eyes now widened, suddenly filling with fear and anguish.

"Garfield, _no!_ How can you think… No, Gar, please! I love you, you can't think that! I'd never –"

Her arms sought him almost pleadingly, clutching at him, embracing him fearfully.

"Gar, I'm sorry, please don't think I've ever thought something like that! Please, Gar, I love you, I'd never wish to hurt you so!" she spoke urgently, desperately. She clung to him as a drowning man to a piece of driftwood, her head buried in his chest. His arms went around her as he spoke soothing words, trying to calm her down and comfort her.

"Shhhhh. I know, calm down. I know. I love you, I know. Shhhhh. Don't worry, I'm here, I won't leave you alone and I won't go away, and I won't stay away from you!"

He held her tight until he could sense that she had calmed down, her previous shame and anguish now only bitterness and resentment.

"Better?"

She nodded. "I'm still seething at… at…"

"Jinx?"

She looked up. "No. Don't be angry with her. It's not her fault."

"She could've kept her goddamn mouth _shut!_ "

"She could. But she did it because she was happy for me, because she was proud of me, just like you are. Don't you see? It is not her fault that somebody was jealous of our happiness and started spreading such names."

"Any idea who it was? I have this urge to rip someone's face off."

She shook her head. "No. There are a lot of boyfriends and girlfriends downstairs that don't know or understand us. It could've been any one of them. In any case, I don't care."

"Good. Because now we have to do something to drive a stake through this shit so that it never happens again."

She looked up at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I have a plan. Listen."

He whispered his plan into her ear. She giggled, then kissed him, nestling into his arms more comfortably.

"I like it" she said, then kissed him deeply, her hands already working on relieving him of his clothes.

* * *

She phased them through the roof and into the main room. They floated down, the flush on their faces a dead giveaway of what they were doing until a minute ago. Nobody missed it; nobody failed to understand it.

As their feet touched the ground, she wrapped her arm around his and he led her to the dance area. They walked straight, their heads held high, the smiles on their faces radiating love. The guests parted in front of them, space on the dance floor appearing around them as if by magic. They embraced and started moving to the music.

* * *

"Friend Raven, I am so happy for you two!" Starfire gushed, overjoyed, as she hugged Raven. "Please receive the most of the congratulations for winning the contest of the Best of the Couples!"

Nightwing slapped Changeling's back. "Star's right. Congratulations, both of you! You won it fair and square!" He turned to Raven. "I'd like to say that I'm looking forward to fighting you for it next time, but I'm not sure Rae would wish to –"

"Oh, I would _love_ to, Richard!" Raven said with a mischievous smile. "I _am_ going to the next party, and you two are so on!"

She floated away with Starfire, the two girls talking in soft voices and giggling. Nightwing placed a friendly arm around Changeling's shoulder.

"She's come a long way, Garfield. And it's all thanks to you. You must be very proud of her."

Changeling looked after Raven, his eyes misting.

"I am, Richard. I am."


	7. Separated, Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

 _Separated_ is a small story arc that I wanted to include in _Gifts_ but finally didn't because I couldn't find a way to shoehorn it inside without breaking continuity. Maybe I could've made it into a separate, longer story, but I'm just too lazy to do it right now, so I decided to put it in here. It's turning out a bit long, and since I don't want to take the fluff out I will make it a two-parter.

* * *

 **Separated, Part 1**

Raven frowned at Nightwing.

"I don't understand why you're sending _me_ , Richard. He specifically asked for Starfire!"

"She and Victor are with the Titans East until next week, Rae! You know that!"

"So? Send me to Steel City to replace her, and she can go to –"

"She would need to brief you first! It would take at least a full day, maybe two! He said it was urgent!"

"You make it sound as if he was under attack as we speak, Richard. One or two days more or less –"

His face darkened with anger. "I really don't see why I have to discuss this with you! You are going _tonight!_ Get your stuff ready!"

Startled by his intensity, she studied him through their bond, trying to pierce the defenses he had put up. She managed to sense the feelings he was forcing down and her eyes widened as the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

"You are _jealous!_ You think he loves her, and you are jealous! That's why you don't want her going there!"

Nightwing's flush deepened.

" _That's not true!_ " he shouted at her, his fists clenching.

"Not true? Can you really look me in the eyes and say that, Richard? Do you forget that I know what you feel?"

He stared at her for a few seconds. Her eyes were defiant, unaffected by his outburst. He felt his fury suddenly leave him.

"What you may think is... irrelevant, Rae. It does not change the facts. Objectively it's the correct decision, and it still stands."

It was her turn to get angry. "It is a stupid and inefficient decision! If he required Starfire, it's because he needs her specific talents! He is an intelligent and professional –"

He frowned at her, more in disappointment than in anger. "And you dare accuse me of selfishness? Tell me, are you really so concerned about your ability to do the job, or are you just trying to avoid being away from Garfield?"

Her face went even paler than usual, then a blush started creeping over her cheeks. Furious at him for revealing what she thought she had hidden well, she whirled and left his room without a word.

* * *

"I don't want to do it, Gar" she said, her voice muffled, her face buried deep between his neck and shoulder. "I won't go!"

"I'm not happy about it myself, Rae. But you have to."

"No."

"Rae…"

"No!"

He sighed. "I've never thought that I'd be saying this to you, but you're behaving like a spoiled child!"

She lifted her head and gazed at him, a spark of anger flashing in her eyes.

"Rae, since you melded with your aspects, you are unable to insulate yourself from your emotions. They are coming full-force at you, and you still haven't learned how to deal with them."

She watched him for a moment, then her anger vanished and she buried her face in his shoulder again and sighed. "I guess you are right" she whispered.

"Of course I am. Look, it'll pass quickly, you'll be away only a couple of weeks. Sometimes it is good for lovers to separate for a while and feel the longing, just so they don't start taking their love for granted. And hopefully the experience will also help you understand yourself better."

She lifted her head again and looked at him, surprised.

"Who are you and what did you do to Garfield?" she asked him, only half joking.

He chuckled. "I'm not that hopeless any more, love. You of all people should know. You made me so."

She embraced him fiercely, not responding.

He caressed a strand of hair away from her forehead. "Tell ya what. I'll set something up for when you get back. So, what do you like best? A concert? Dinner? A picnic?"

"Making love to you" she said as she nipped him gently on the ear, knowing how sensitive he was there. He shivered and felt her react with a slight tremor.

"Um, OK, can't say I don't like that answer, but I was looking for something else, like going to see a show, or simply taking a stroll in the park. How about the second best thing?"

"Cuddling with you after we make love."

"Raven! I'm trying to be serious here!"

She nipped his ear again. "I am very serious, Garfield."

"Please, I'm trying to find out what you'd like me to prepare to welcome you back!"

"Surprise me" she said and kissed him deeply.

* * *

Cyborg and Starfire had taken the T-Ship with them, so Raven had to rely on external transportation. Luckily, Nightwing managed to get the Justice League to pull some strings and Raven soon found herself in a G-suit, strapped into the co-pilot's seat of a supersonic fighter, streaking at Mach 2.1 over the ocean.

She used the time to meditate and focus, forcing herself not to think of him, knowing it would just make it more difficult. But once out of meditation it was a losing battle, her thoughts and feelings straying back to him no matter how she tried to think of other things. She finally gave up and slowly opened herself to their bond. She was trying not to make herself felt; she did not want to distress or interrupt him. Soon she could feel the familiar pattern of his emotions washing over her in a soothing wave. He was excited, probably playing a game.

His excitement peaked, then lessened, leaving a pleasant afterglow. He must have reached a new level or whatever the game was about. She smiled inwardly, enjoying his feelings.

A sense of puzzlement came from him, then realization, then happiness and love. He was aware of her. She answered with her own joy. It was almost as good as being beside him. Not quite, but almost. She allowed a small amount of regret to spark through her and over their bond. He understood and sent his reassurance.

Longing escaped from her before she could smother it. As he felt it she sensed a flash of concern in him, but it was soon replaced by amusement. A small frown formed on her face, a slight irritation coursing through to needle him. His amusement increased. Words were unnecessary, she knew exactly what he was trying to say.

 _C'mon, Rae. It's only been a few hours._

She tried to increase her annoyance so that he would take her seriously, but she found it impossible to mask how fake it was. She gave up, smiled and allowed the sheer joy of feeling him to pervade her.

* * *

The jet landed on a military airfield. She was quickly whisked away, the G-suit removed and her papers approved and stamped. Soon afterwards they drove her to a civilian airport and helped her board the airliner that would take her to her next destination.

Thankfully, this leg of her trip was a lot shorter. She managed to find enough interest in what was happening around her to keep her mind busy during the flight. Soon the airliner landed and taxied to the terminal. She left the plane, mingling with the rest of the passengers, wondering when she will be contacted.

She tried to open up to her empathic sense and find if there was anyone looking for her, but she was immediately overwhelmed by the intensity of the combined feelings of so many people around her. Dazed, she quickly shut herself off and tried to restore her inner balance.

Suddenly two huge hands descended and grabbed her, lifting her several feet off the ground as a deep voice bellowed at her.

" _Voronyonok!_ How are you, _sestrenka?_ "

"Leo!" Raven cried, joy in her voice. "Put me down, you big bear!"

The friendship between Red Star and Raven started almost two years ago, during one of those parties in the Tower that she was not able to avoid. She had made a point of bringing a book and sitting to read it as far away from everyone as possible, both to entertain herself and to make it perfectly clear to everybody that she was not interested in socializing. Intrigued, he managed to overcome her initial resistance through a combination of sheer Slavic stubbornness and a few well-placed comments about the book she was reading. Soon she found herself discussing with him the merits of Turgenev versus Beecher and the relative impacts their work had on society. She discovered he also liked poetry and chess, and after the party they remained in touch, exchanging books and playing chess remotely.

"I forget how tiny you are!" he roared on, still holding her aloft. "Maybe I just put you in my shirt pocket, carry you around, _da?_ "

"It would be a loose fit, Leo" she said, laughing. "You've grown even bigger than last time we saw each other!"

"We meet too seldom, _sestrenka_ " he rumbled, finally putting her down. "You have been well?"

"More than well. I have a boyfriend now."

"I know" he said winking. "Garfield Markovitch is lucky man!" He offered her his arm and led her away.

"Thanks, Leo. I suppose he is!" she smiled, trying to ignore the sudden longing scything through her.

Red Star chuckled and looked down at her, slightly amused. "So, you get my Pushkin? Best translation I find!"

"It was great, Leo. I enjoyed it a lot. Did you get my Baudelaire?"

"Too dark, _Voronushka._ It is good, but it makes me sad."

"You are Russian!" she smirked. "Everything makes you sad!"

* * *

They boarded a helicopter that took them to a military airfield. Again she was enveloped in a G-suit and strapped into the cockpit of a supersonic fighter, but this time it was Red Star that did the piloting. He took off on full afterburner, knowing that his passenger could take it.

She remained silent until the fighter leveled off on its course, not wishing to disturb him while he was busy piloting. Once she felt he had relaxed, she spoke.

"What is our destination?"

His voice crackled back through the intercom. "We go to Krasnoyarsk, then we take helicopter North."

"Richard briefed me before I left and I read the file while I was crossing the ocean, but I would like to hear it from you."

"Why not? We have time" he chuckled. "You know that on 30th of June 1908 something exploded over Tunguska river. It is very well known."

"Yes, everybody thinks it was a meteor, but there was no impact crater. Could have been an airburst, like over Chelyabinsk in 2013."

"There are many more theories, some of them crazy, _nyet?_ "

"You mean like an alien ship crashing or exploding?"

"Yes. But as with meteor impact, no remains or fragments were ever found. I did not believe these theories, until few weeks ago."

"It's been more than a hundred years, Leo. Why would it start acting up now?"

"That is one of the things we have to find out, _ptichka!_ "

"The file said that hunters started finding frozen animals close to that spot. In summer."

" _Da._ But this would not call much attention. It was only curiosity until a group of hunters disappeared and was found after few days. Their weapons were discharged. They were defending themselves. But they finished frozen also."

"That was in the file, too. Do you think something attacked them?"

"Evidence indicates so" he said darkly. "What is not in file is that a group of soldiers searching that area did not report since yesterday."

She felt the concern and anguish coming from him. "Were they your men?"

He remained silent.

"No sense punishing yourself, Leo. Maybe it's just that their radio –"

"I hope so" he cut her off. "But there is more that is not in file."

"Oh?"

"The frozen men and animals. I received laboratory report this morning. It says they are not only frozen. The technical term is 'vitrified'."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Then they were subjected to extremely low temperatures very suddenly. Vitrification means the freezing process was so fast that ice crystals did not have time to form."

"It is not only that, _ptichka._ It also means they were frozen from _inside_."

"I realize that. It would be impossible to freeze them so quickly otherwise. But that could happen only if they swallowed gallons of liquid nitrogen."

"Or if something pumped them full of it. But that would leave frost burns, scorch marks. There were no burns, no wounds."

Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of it all. The information seemed contradictory, but…

"Anything else that you didn't include in the file?"

He was silent for a moment and then he spoke, his voice low.

"Yes. There is sense of radiation on frozen bodies" he said. "It is very weak, but I could feel it."

"Why didn't you report that?"

"It was very weak. I was not certain, but report from laboratory this morning confirms it. There is radiation consistent with short half-life elements."

"I see" she said, then suddenly she connected the dots. "Is that why you asked for Starfire?"

" _Da._ She can resist much radiation."

He was again silent. Raven sighed, realizing it was a mistake to mention Starfire. She tried to recover something from the blunder.

"She is doing some important work with Titans East, Leo. I'm sorry if –"

"Please, _Voronyonok._ I am happy you are here. You will be of great help."

"I know, Leo, but I don't want to become a burden –"

"You can take care of yourself" he cut her off, dismissing her concern. "You will not be burden."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

He grunted in return and fell silent. She tried to say something but could not come up with anything relevant that would not steer the conversation back to the sensitive topic.

In the end it was Red Star that broke the silence.

"Richard Ivanovitch, he is… he did not want her to come?"

"Leo, she is busy elsewhere, I told you! He –"

Again he cut her off. "I know truth, _Voronushka_. I understand and I am not angry."

She kept quiet, trying to close herself to the emotions that he was radiating. It was affecting her much more than usual, awakening her own longing and regret.

"He needs not to be" he spoke suddenly, startling her. "My feelings for _Zvezdochka_ are not like that."

"Leo…"

"No, _sestrenka._ Listen. She gave me my life back. I was buried, she showed me the sun again. I was dead, she made me live again. She gave me friendship, and courage, and hope. I do not love her. Not that way. I _adore_ her."

She felt uncomfortable. "I... I don't know why you're telling me this, Leo, but I promise I will keep it to myself."

"I tell it to you because you are only one that can understand me, _nyet?_ "

"Why do you say that?" she asked, puzzled.

"Because you know what it is like. Garfield Markovitch, he gave you life as well. He gave you something you thought you could never have. He opened your eyes and your heart, made you feel joy and love and tenderness."

She felt the longing burn in her eyes. "I… miss him."

"Good. It is well that you suffer a little. It will make good Russian girl out of you."

She couldn't help laughing at that. "You're hopeless!"

"I know."

* * *

Just one quick **A/N** at the bottom; I don't speak Russian so if I screwed up PM me to fix it please!


	8. Separated, Pt 2

**Separated, Part 2**

As they transferred from the fighter to the helicopter for the last leg of their journey, Raven was already stumbling and fighting down yawns after almost thirty hours of travel. Thankfully, Red Star was expecting it and he improvised a bunk by spreading a couple of sleeping bags on the uncomfortable bench seat of the military helicopter, letting Raven lie down on it and covering her with his down jacket. Its size was such that she could easily use it as a blanket.

"Sleep now, _Voronyonok!_ You need to be rested and alert when we arrive!"

She smiled at him gratefully, made herself as comfortable as she could on the hard bench and was out like a light.

She woke up sore and stiff from sleeping on the hard surface, but the several hours of rest revitalized her. She stretched to work out the stiffness, realizing the helicopter had landed. The large clamshell doors at the back were opened and she could see that the equipment and supplies they have been carrying was in the process being unloaded, probably by Leonid himself. As if on cue, he climbed into the helicopter, took hold of a large crate and carried it outside.

She sighed. _So, he let me sleep while he unloaded. Trying to be a gentleman. Men!_

She wrapped four crates at once in her black mist and made them float out of the chopper slowly, walking after them with a conscious strut to her step.

"Morning, Leo. Where do you want these?"

He frowned at her. "Good morning, _ptichka._ Just drop them beside others. You should not exert yourself carrying. It is man's job."

"Do I look like I'm straining?"

His frown cleared and he smiled. "You are right. But some things are not easy to overcome."

She lifted an eyebrow. "I hope it will not interfere with our combat efficiency" she teased.

He laughed. "I always try to be gentleman, but in battle we are all just soldiers, _nyet?_ "

"That's all I needed to know."

With Raven's help they quickly finished unloading and sorting the crates. The helicopter lifted off and flew away.

"They will refuel and wait fifty kilometers south. They will be available for extraction in fifteen to twenty minutes after we call them. We should now set up our camp and search for my men."

They quickly set up the two tents and the rest of the camp. Red Star busied himself with the small stove and soon an appealing smell started wafting around the small clearing where they were.

Not much more was said until the breakfast was finished. Red Star produced a map of the area and they discussed their search pattern.

"We will look for their camp and start the search from there" he said. "Spiral search pattern, fifty meter grid. You agree?"

"That sounds good to me."

"Good. Before we start, you put this on" he said, handing her a set of protective clothing for beekeepers.

"What's that for?"

"Mosquitoes. There are many of them."

"I can keep them away with my magic. I don't need that."

"If you are sure…"

"Of course I am. I'm not putting that on. Besides, I don't see you wearing a set."

"I keep them away with radiation. You may try magic. In any case, I have a lot of plasma and I bring your blood type, also."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"You will learn, _Voronyonok!_ You will learn!" he said with a malicious grin, then rose and picked up his backpack. "Let us go."

* * *

They soon located the soldier's camp. The tents blended well with the sparse forest, their camouflage painting making them very difficult to see, but the soldiers had placed bright orange and yellow strips over them so that they could be quickly located from the air. They landed in the middle of the quiet, empty camp, looking around.

"No signs of violence or combat" Raven said, poking around.

"Everything looks normal" Red Star agreed, looking into the tents, not finding anyone. He went into the command tent, larger than the others. Raven followed. There was a collapsible table inside with a radio on top. Red Star stepped closer and tried to operate it.

"Dead. Looks like batteries are dry. But they should last several days."

"Maybe they forgot to charge them before leaving?"

"That would be inexcusably stupid, but it is possibility" he mused, picking up the commander's log and leafing through it. "No mention of problems with batteries. Everything here is normal. Last entry says they plan patrol north."

"It may be a good idea to follow them" Raven proposed.

"I agree. Let us do it."

Raven soon found out that Red Star wasn't joking about the mosquitoes. Thick swarms of them immediately rose from the disturbed vegetation; tiny, biting, droning pests that covered every exposed part of her body. And not only mosquitoes; she was certain that every flying, blood-sucking pest that had ever plagued this planet was present in uncountable numbers, and they all seemed to have a keen appetite for half-demon blood. She expanded a black sphere around her to keep them away, but not before her hands, legs and face were covered with red, sore, itching spots.

"Don't even _think_ of saying it" she growled at Red Star as she noticed a smirk forming on his face. "Not unless you'd like a tour of the Fifth Pit of Hell!"

"I will not say anything!" Red Star promised, his hand over his heart, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

She glared at him furiously, then rose in the air and hovered some thirty feet up, where the air was clear of the black, biting, stinging swarms.

"I'll scout from here" she said in a dry voice, daring him to comment. He just nodded, still trying to hide his mirth, and continued with the search.

They soon found the first one. The soldier's body was on the ground, but he was still clutching his assault rifle. Red Star checked the magazine. It was empty. Shell casings could be seen glinting beside the frozen soldier.

"He fired at something, but it was not enough" Raven commented. "Whatever killed him does not seem to be harmed by bullets, or there were too many enemies to take down."

"Only one target" Red Star said. "Shell casings are piled up in one place. He was firing in one direction only."

Raven bent and touched the cold skin. "Surface epidermal layers have defrosted already. He's been here for a while." Speaking in medical terms made it somewhat more bearable, but she still had to swallow to keep her bile from rising.

Red Star unsheathed a knife and looked at her. "Turn around, _ptichka._ "

She did not argue. She floated up again, looking for the other soldiers as Red Star did what had to be done.

She saw the other four bodies and levitated down, avoiding looking at Leonid. He finished what he was doing and rose, his face pale.

"He is still completely frozen inside" he said, his voice unnaturally flat. "Did you find others?"

"Yes. That way."

They made their way through the slender beeches to a clearing where the soldiers tried to organize a last stand. It was obvious from their positions; two kneeling, two standing behind them. It did not help them.

"All weapons are discharged. This here is crater from hand grenade" he said pointing to a spot where the ground had been ripped up and black mud was churned out.

* * *

They took the bodies to the camp and sealed them in body bags. Red Star used the radio they brought to contact the base and report. Raven floated in lotus position, thinking and waiting.

He finished his report and walked over. "We should start searching from that place and try to find what did this" he said, his voice brittle.

"Wait" Raven replied. "I may be able to find it quicker. Give me a few minutes."

She closed her eyes and allowed her empathic sense to roam. She felt the small animals scurrying around, their simple needs reflected in their feelings. Fear, aggression, mating lust. Nothing unexpected. She expanded her sense, covering a larger area. She felt something out of the ordinary and concentrated on it.

 _Hunger._

She gasped, her eyes flying open. Red Star jumped to his feet, concern in his face.

"Over there" she said, her voice shaking, pointing with her hand. "I don't know what it is. I never sensed anything… anything like that."

"Can it communicate?"

"I don't know. But I do know that it felt me. It knows where we are. And it's hungry."

"Hungry? That is good. I have much food for it."

"Leo, we should try to –"

"I know, _Voronyonok._ But I hope it will try to fight."

"I think you should let me handle it."

"There is no need to put yourself in danger –"

"I thought we went over this! You yourself said I can take care of myself! And you are currently emotionally involved and liable to make mistakes!"

He glared at her, then brought his hands up in disgusted surrender, shaking his head. "Do what you wish. I will watch your back."

"Good. Now get ready. It is approaching."

She could now easily sense the hunger and craving. It was overpowering, leaving no space for any rational thought or any other desire but to quench it, satisfy it, end it. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed.

A small, ill-defined blob of darkness floated through the trees towards her. It approached, sensing that here there was something that could assuage its hunger, if only for a while. There was energy here, and lots of it. It would feed well.

Raven floated back, the simple but powerful desires of the creature making her head spin. She fought the dizziness and used her soul-self to pick up several large rocks and hurl them at the alien. The rocks hit it and dropped to the ground, not rebounding, not causing any damage.

She floated back and up, retreating, creating a black shield in front of the floating blob. It threw itself at the barrier, absorbing it, devouring it. Raven felt an intense pain in her chest, a horrible coldness invading her. She tried to scream, but only managed to gasp. Her levitation faltered and she fell to the ground.

" _Ty ne budesh'_ _!_ " she heard and fell unconscious.

* * *

"C-cold…" she whimpered as she opened her eyes, trying to focus. She was freezing, shaking like a leaf, her teeth chattering. A fire was crackling close by, and she tried to move closer to it and warm up, feeling the heat burn her face and neck, slowly sinking into her, the unbearable coldness deep inside still making her shiver uncontrollably.

Almost six thousand miles away, Changeling woke up in the middle of the night, doubled in pain as his body trembled with unnatural cold.

 _Rae? What is happening? Why is she so cold?_

Back in Siberia, strong but gentle hands pulled Raven away from the fire and a steaming mug was pressed into her shaking hands.

"You will burn yourself, _sestrenka_. Drink this tea, it will warm you better."

"W-what happened?"

"It ran away from me" he said with a mixture of satisfaction and regret. "It is weak to my radiation."

"It… it wanted to… absorb me… my power…"

"Absorb?"

"Yes, it… feeds on… heat, warmth… energy."

"An energy vampire?"

"Yes… I could feel it… feel its craving… It has a mind, but it is completely taken over by the hunger."

She sipped the scalding tea, feeling its heat warming her, slowly calming the tremors that still shook her.

"I think I know, Leo" she said after a while. "I think I understand why it has appeared now, after more than a hundred years."

"It was weak" Red Star said, staring into the fire.

"You know?"

He smiled at her. "No, but I can add two and two."

"Put two and two together" Raven corrected him without thinking. "It was probably feeding first on bacteria, then insects, then small animals, until it finally grew large and strong enough to absorb deer and bears."

"And humans" he said grimly.

"And humans. Shooting it only fed it more. Any action we take will only increase its strength. We cannot fight it."

"You are wrong, _Voronyonok_. I have felt its weakness."

"Weakness?"

"It uses radioactive decay of short half-life elements as its energy source. This is where the radiation on the bodies came from."

"So the energy it absorbs is used to create these elements?"

"Yes. Like a plant uses sunlight to create sugar."

"How does that help us?"

"My radiation breaks up the nuclei of those elements. I destroy its energy source."

"You mean you can kill it?"

"No. I cannot do it alone. I can weaken it. But two of us together… we can kill it."

"How?"

"You have much energy, _nyet?_ "

"Yes, but…"

"You feed it. Give it much power. It creates much of its own power source. When it is big enough…"

Raven's eyes widened, understanding. "Neutron bombardment. Chain reaction."

"Yes. I turn it into small atom bomb."

She frowned and waved dismissively.

"That's the stupidest idea I've heard since Garfield wanted to nose-whistle the _Bohemian Rhapsody_ for _America's Got Talent!_ "

Red Star grinned at her. "Do not worry. I made calculations in my mind. It will be small bomb. Not more than one fifth of kiloton."

"Just two hundred tons of TNT? Yes, you're right. A firecracker."

"Most of it will be electromagnetic radiation. I am immune to it."

"One percent of two hundred tons is two tons. Two tons of TNT released as heat and shockwave, Leo. I would be picking parts of you over a very wide area. It is unacceptable."

"Or you could envelop me in protective shield" he said, smiling at her.

"And if I'm a split second too slow?"

"What is life without risk?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not funny. I won't do it. The risk is too great."

His smile disappeared and he frowned at her. "It must be done _now_ , while it is still small. It will grow exponentially. It will absorb humans and large animals, then it will sense villages, cities. Power plants. It will devour entire planet, Raven. We have to stop it. Whatever is cost."

"This is the first time I heard you call me 'Raven'" she smiled, puzzled.

"It is your name, _nyet?_ " he grinned. His face became serious again. "It has to be done. I like it less than you. I run bigger risk."

"And I will never forgive myself if I am too slow and you get blown up!"

"You will not be."

She clenched her teeth, desperately looking for a way out, knowing that there was none. It had to be that way. She sighed.

"You win."

* * *

"Will it be able to freeze you?" he asked, concerned. "The whole plan hinges on that."

"As long as I can project enough power into it so it doesn't start sucking my body heat, I can do it. It depends on how fast it can absorb it."

He grunted. "There is not much we can do about it now. I will try to protect you if I see it is starting to harm you."

"You will have your hands full staying alive. I will take care of myself."

"As you wish, _ptichka_ " he said, unconvinced.

"Then let's do it" she concluded, levitating up and folding her legs in lotus position. She released her empathic sense and searched for the creature.

It had retreated far, the fear it felt a new sensation for it. But it became aware of Raven's probing and its hunger woke up again, obliterating any other feelings. It rose and followed the call.

"It's coming" Raven cautioned.

 _I'm going to need all the emotions I can get. Gar… Please feel me, Garfield. I need you. I need your love._

Changeling was sitting up in his bunk, thinking about what he had felt during the night. Anxiety and concern kept him awake. He was tired, but sleep would just slide away from him as he tossed and turned, worried about her. He could feel that she had recovered and that she was not in pain any more, but the realization that _she was in danger_ and that _he was not there_ was more than he could bear.

He tried to hide those feelings, knowing that if she sensed them she would be angry at him. _And she would be right_ , he smirked at himself. She was strong, powerful, beautiful… _She has taught me so much_ , he thought. How to enjoy the morning tea in silence, simply savoring the feeling of her at his side, their love flowing between them, their eyes closed, their minds understanding each other without the need for words. How to unlock the magic hidden in books and in music. How to express all the love that he felt for her just by touching her hand, or by giving her a small, secret smile.

He remembered their last lovemaking, his smile widening as he recalled their conversation. _I hope I have taught her something, too._

He was suddenly aware of her amusement. She was sensing him all the time. He felt her love enveloping him and responded with his own, letting himself relax and _feel._

She smiled as she sensed him opening up to her. _Thank you, Garfield. I'm sorry I have to use our love for such an end. I hope you'll forgive me._

The creature burst in on them. She floated back, lifting her arms.

 _Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!_

A blast of black energy leapt from her hands and struck the alien monster. It stopped, its feelings changing from hunger to surprise at the amount of nourishment pouring into it, to ecstasy at having its craving fulfilled, if only for a short time. It needed more. It had to have more, _now_.

Red Star watched the creature absorb Raven's energy stream, growing slightly every second, his senses heightened, focused on feeling the unstable elements as they started building up in the barely defined ball of darkness in front of him. He could almost see the little vibrating points of matter, full of energy, like a balloon pumped up to bursting, needing only a small pinprick to blow up and send debris all around, blowing up more balloons, that would send up even more debris, that would burst even more balloons…

 _Now._

He jumped on the creature, his entire body glowing, his hands touching it and releasing the destructive flow of radioactivity into it. A trillion, quadrillion nuclei broke up, the avalanche of destruction growing exponentially, the sheer energy liberated heating up the air to temperatures beyond those on the surface of the Sun, expanding it, creating a solid wall of compressed gas that hurled itself outwards as the alien monster exploded, utterly annihilated.

A wall of black power snapped shut around them, blocking off the initial shockwave that blew them both backwards. The incredible power of the explosion shredded the defensive wall, the remainder of the shockwave hitting him with the power of a freight train.

Most of the liberated energy was bursting out as radiation. It would not harm him, but it would kill Raven instantly if he didn't block it. He could not let that happen. He had to resist.

The bones in his arms snapped. His skin began peeling off. Debris struck him with the power of cannon rounds. He ignored it all, holding on grimly.

 _Just a moment more._

The burst of radiation was over. He smiled, his job done, and passed out.

* * *

Raven picked herself up. Her mind shook off the daze slowly. The shockwave had slammed into her and turned her head over heels, tossing her against a slender tree. It was fortuitous; the tree bent and absorbed most of the impact before cracking and falling to the ground, Raven falling over it.

Her first rational thought was of Red Star. He was much closer to the epicenter, to ground zero. The effect of the shockwave on him would be much stronger. She rose and limped over to where he was, almost choking on fear and concern when she saw what was left of him.

"Don't you _dare_ die on me!" she shouted at him. "I swear, Heaven or Hell will not hide you from me if you do!"

Her soul-self flew into him, closing the torn blood vessels, fusing together the bones, mending the rent muscles. She worked feverishly on him for what seemed an eternity, rushing from one critical, life-threatening wound to the next, joining, closing, repairing, mobilizing his body's own defenses, keeping always one step ahead from the dark specter that was trying to claim him.

"You will live, Leo. You will live. You will not get away from me. You _will_ face me. You will live because I will kill you personally for your idiocy" she droned as she worked, only half aware of doing it as she fought with all her might and skill to keep him on this side of life. Slowly his condition stabilized, the terrible wounds closing, the blood no longer pouring out of him. She collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

 _I saved him, Gar. I saved him. Thank Azar, I saved him. I couldn't live with myself if… I saved him._

* * *

Raven thanked the pilot for the trip through the intercom, called on her soul-self and transformed into a spectral bird, phasing out of the fighter and floating down towards the Tower. She reduced her speed and coalesced her form back into herself, levitating down until her feet touched the roof. He had sensed her arrival and was already running towards her, the joy he felt at seeing her shining in his eyes, his smile and his aura.

She wrapped herself in her torn cloak, her hood up, trying to hide the red splotches from the insect bites, the filthy hair and the mud-streaked face. He would have none of that. His arms embraced her stronger than Starfire could, his lips searching for hers, not allowing her to hide, not letting her shy away.

He still held her tight as their lips finally parted. "Welcome back!" he whispered.

"Did you miss me?"

"Not at all."

"Yes, I can see that" she said and kissed him again.

She allowed herself to enjoy his closeness for a few seconds, then pushed him gently away. "Let me report to Fearless Leader first."

She phased them downwards through the roof and into the Ops room. The other three Titans greeted her with hoots of joy. It was good to be back home.

"Here you go, Richard!" she said as she handed Nightwing a flash drive. "My report is in there. I will not be available for the next twenty-four hours, but after that you can ask me any question you want."

An amused guffaw exploded from Cyborg. "Twenty four hours? Whoa, there, you two –"

She turned around slowly to face him. She lowered her hood and approached him, a deceptively sweet smile on her face, black mist flowing from her eyes and leaving a slowly dissipating trail behind her. She stopped in front of Cyborg, minuscule compared to the six-feet-eight half-metal giant, and looked up at him.

"My dear Victor. I have been strapped up in one airplane or another for more than sixty hours in the last five days. What little I slept I did in airplane seats, plastic benches and on the ground. I haven't bathed in five days. I had half of my blood sucked out by a selection of Nature's most obnoxious pests. I had a vampiric alien try and drain my life from me. I survived a nuclear blast and I had to fight to save a dear friend's life. I am filthy, stinky, tired and have a very low tolerance for your insinuations. I am going to shower and _sleep_ , and I suggest you remove that leer from your face before I rip it off. Do I make myself _clear?_ "

"Yes, Rae" came the choked reply from an ashen-faced Cyborg.

"Good. Let's go, Garfield."

She floated towards the side door, a wide-eyed Changeling trailing behind her. As she reached the door, she turned around.

"Just to be completely clear. Whoever comes close to my room in the next twenty four hours, does so at their own risk."

She grabbed Garfield's hand and dragged him away.

As the door closed, Nightwing let out a long breath and looked at a still-stunned Cyborg.

"I guess there are limits to how much you can prod a short-tempered half-demon."

Cyborg made a show of wiping sweat from his brow. "My life just passed in front of my eyes" he said, then smiled sheepishly. "I did step over the line, didn't I?"

"You most certainly did, friend Cyborg."

* * *

"Do you want me to get some ointment for that, Rae?" Changeling asked anxiously, still a bit shaken by Raven's outburst.

"I'll fix it myself, Gar. Right now I just want to shower and sleep."

"If you want, I can leave you alone…"

"Don't you dare even _think_ about it! Get in that bed and wait for me. I'll be there soon."

A few minutes later she floated in from the bathroom and slipped into bed. "Now hold me and be with me while I sleep. I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"Rae…"

"I know, I'm being selfish. I just don't care, I'm too tired and I've missed you way too much. When I wake up we'll talk about the surprise you have for me."

"Good night, Rae" he said embracing her and kissing the top of her head.

"G'night" she said and was asleep instantly.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I realize that the technical parts – the creature, its powers and how to destroy it – may be a bit drawn out and even boring, and if so, I apologize, but I felt it necessary to leave them in so that the plot makes sense. Sorry about that.

I also apologize that I didn't go through with Garfield's surprise. It made this chapter simply too long and I felt it was a bit out of place. I may (no promises, I said may) include it in the next chapter, if I can think of a reasonable plot to go with it.


	9. Surprise

**Author's Note:**

I owed you Garfield's surprise from last chapter. I didn't include it there because it would make the chapter too long and water down the plot, and I wanted to avoid that. So now I had to cram the whole idea into a new plot, with all the problems it entails.

Then, as I was replying to Allen's review, it hit me – I don't need a new plot. I'll just make it a plot in itself. And this is the end result. I hope you like it.

 ** _Warning:_** Lots of heavy fluffiness ahead. I will not be responsible for weight gain, cavities or diabetes. You have been warned.

* * *

 **Surprise**

She was sleeping for ten hours already, not giving signs of waking up anytime soon. He shifted a little, trying to reduce the need he started feeling about an hour ago and that only became stronger as time passed. He tried then to get out of bed and go to the bathroom, but she clutched at him, not waking up and not allowing him to extricate himself.

He finally managed to sneak out without waking her up. He finished what he wanted and snuck back in under the warm blanket. Her arms searched for him, pulling him closer. He welcomed them gladly and embraced her. Her breathing never changed.

 _Good. She didn't wake up. Now maybe I can sleep a bit, too._ He relaxed.

"Gar?"

His eyes snapped open, looking at her. Her eyes were still closed, her face peaceful, her voice just a whisper.

"Where were you?"

"I had to go to the bathroom."

"You could've just told me."

"Didn't want to wake you up."

He eyes opened a little, the violet in them deep.

"You are a fool. I love you" she said, closed her eyes and snuggled closer.

"I love you too, Rae."

They remained in each other's arms for a while. Her nearness, her warmth and more than anything her scent soon awoke another need in him, but he forced himself to ignore it, knowing she was exhausted.

She gave him a light kiss. "Give me a few minutes more" she said, her voice still heavy with sleep.

"As long as you need, love."

Her breathing slowed down and became softer again. He closed his eyes, releasing himself to his happiness.

* * *

He woke up, realizing he had dozed off. His hand went over to where she was sleeping, only to find a still-warm blanket. He opened his eyes and saw her sitting at the edge of the bed, stretching.

Sensing he was awake, she turned and gave him a warm smile.

"My turn to wake you."

"No problem, mamma. I've slept long enough."

"I'm off to the shower again. I've got five days of grime to wash off."

He nodded, looking after her as she went into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed behind her, he stretched his hand towards his uniform, tossed carelessly beside the bed. He fished the communicator out of the pocket.

"Hey, Chrome Dome! Need a favor!" his voice hissed softly into the mouthpiece.

"Whassup, Grass Stain?"

"I need room service!"

Cyborg chuckled. "It's gonna cost you…"

"C'mon, Bolt Bucket, don't do this to me! Not now!"

"Hey, y'know how the law of supply and demand works, Evergreen."

"All right, Rust Brain! Whatever! Just get that breakfast here, _now!_ "

"Fifteen minutes, Pea Soup."

The door to the bathroom opened and a vision from Heaven appeared in the doorframe, steam from the hot shower billowing around her.

"Are you going to keep mamma waiting, Garfield?"

She vanished back into the clouds of steam.

"You've got an hour, Pail-Head. And don't forget the non-dairy pancakes!"

He threw the communicator on top of the discarded uniform and ran to the bathroom.

* * *

"Breakfast?" he kissed her lightly as they slid under the sheets again.

"Mmmm. That would be very nice, Gar."

He went to the door, opened it and glanced outside, making sure no one was nearby. The covered cart was waiting patiently for their pleasure. He quickly wheeled it in and closed the door.

"You had Victor make it and bring it!" she said accusingly.

"Would I do something like that?"

She lifted an eyebrow. He grinned.

She snorted in reply, then said "What was his price?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Garfield…"

He looked away, abashed. "I don't really know."

Both her eyebrows went up. "You let him set his own price? And you are giving him time to think from where he will extract his pound of flesh?"

"Pound of flesh?"

"I'm starting you on Shakespeare tomorrow, Garfield" she said, somewhat annoyed. "In the meantime, this is what you will tell him." She bent her head towards him and started whispering in his ear.

As she whispered, an enormous, evil grin started spreading over Garfield's face.

"Have I ever told you how _cruel_ you are, Rae?"

"You did. Now start stocking up with calories. You are going to need them. We've taken the edge off, now it's time for some serious lovemaking."

"If you insist…"

* * *

"Y'know, Rae, I was thinking you were kinda pulling my leg when you told me what you liked best" he told her, enjoying the afterglow, basking in her warmth and the love that flowed between them.

"I always said you were a fool" she said lazily, her head pillowed on his shoulder.

He chuckled soundlessly. "I do seem to recall that you did, once or twice."

She snuggled closer. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, I'd like nothing more than to keep doing what you like most" he said, grinning at her.

"I bet you would" she purred.

"Buuuut, as I said, I was preparing a small surprise for you…"

"Mmmhmmm?" she hummed questioningly.

"We could start with a picnic in the park."

"Sounds fun. What then?"

"Then back to the Tower to get ready for the evening."

"An evening of what?"

"D'you remember our good friend Georgios Samaranis?"

She looked up at him. "Samaranis? The theatre manager?"

"Yep. We have free use of the House Box in perpetuity, with all the perks and benefits, as long as it's not been reserved for visiting royalty."

"This is starting to sound interesting."

"The _Nutcracker_."

She closed her eyes and hugged him closer. "That is really wonderful, Gar."

"Then, of course, dinner…"

"Of course."

"Then the roof of the Tower…"

She squinted at him. "Reliving the glorious past, aren't we?"

He was silent. She opened her eyes fully, looking at him. He turned his head, hiding his eyes.

"Gar?"

"It was when I started… understanding."

"Gar, are you…"

"I'm fine" he said, turning quickly back to her and embracing her fiercely. "I'm fine."

* * *

As Raven and Changeling walked into the Ops room, Cyborg cautioned himself not to smirk. Raven looked well-rested and happy, almost radiant, but that didn't mean he was going to shake the nitroglycerin bottle and see if it'll blow up in his face or not. Garfield, on the other hand… He had some unfinished business with _him._

Changeling sauntered over to the fridge and started filling in the picnic basket with stuff. Cyborg approached and cleared his throat, grinning maliciously, already savoring Changeling's reaction to the price he was going to demand.

"Now where d'y'all think yer goin', Grass Stain?"

"A picnic" Changeling replied with a smirk.

"Nuh-huh. You owe me, Pea Soup!"

"Owe you?"

"For the breakfast, Evergreen! Y'all gonna be my servant for the next twenty four hours. So no picnics and no –"

"Now that's a shame, Bolt Bucket! Rae was _really_ looking forward to it!"

Cyborg's resolve suddenly wavered. "Um…"

"In any case, it was a great breakfast, Rust Brain. I'll have no problem paying the price! Shame that Rae might not see it that way."

Beads of sweat started appearing on Cyborg's forehead. "She might… not?"

"Yeah, she's been a bit pissed off at you since yesterday, y'know" Changeling continued, his smirk turning into an evil grin. "I did manage to calm her by telling her that the breakfast was your peace offering."

"Peace… offering…"

"Oh, yes! In the end Rae said that she will accept it as such and that she will not rip you into several pieces and send each into a different Pit of Hell."

"Pit… of…" was all that Cyborg could force through his throat.

"Yeah, she told me that outright killing you was far too lenient, so she came up with this idea, y'know, but then I told her you left the breakfast for us in front of the door as an apology to her, and…"

"Apology… Yes, apology… Thanks, Greenbean… I was… wanted to say… I'm sorry…"

"Of course, if you _want_ , I can tell her that it was all a misunderstanding, that you did _not_ mean to apologize and that, on top of it, I _won't_ be taking her to the picnic she is _so_ looking forward to, because, y'know, I have an obligation to you…"

Cyborg swallowed, his face ashen. "No, no, no, it's fine, forget about it, y'all just go and take her with you and have a great old time together!"

"You sure, Pail-Head? I mean, the breakfast was fantastic, the price is totally suitable, I have no problems –"

"It's OK, it's OK, you just go, please, Grass Stain, it's fine, you two have fun…"

"OK, Chrome Dome, if you say so. Thanks!" Changeling said, flashing a victorious grin and returning his attention to the picnic basket. Cyborg staggered towards the couch, sitting heavily on it.

 _He's pulling my leg. He's pulling my leg! But I dare not call him out on it! How could he… That is so unlike him! He's not stupid; he's starting to learn how to use what he's got between those pointy ears, but he would never be so devious, so_ cruel!

The proverbial light bulb lit up in his head. He glanced over at Raven, floating in a corner in lotus position, eyes closed, a saintly smile on her face, waiting for Changeling to prepare everything. Scowling, Cyborg got up and strode towards her.

"That was not _fair_ , little sis!"

She opened her eyes, stretched her legs and floated higher to be able to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for the breakfast, Vic!"

His scowl melted, replaced by a grin. "You're welcome. But since you taught him how to avoid paying the price…"

"Are you going to try collecting from me, Victor?" she asked, a note of mock menace in her voice.

"It was you, wasn't it? He couldn't have come up with something so devious himself!"

She sighed. "No, he is too… innocent."

"He is. Be careful with him, Rae."

Raven did something that was very uncharacteristic for her. She hugged Cyborg, pressing her cheek to the smooth, metallic surface of his chest. It was hard, but warm, and strangely comforting.

"Vic, I… sometimes I feel afraid of how much I love him."

He stroked her hair with a surprisingly gentle metallic paw. "I know, little sis. I know."

He cleared his throat and pushed her gently away.

"Y'all have fun out there and watch yourselves. Don't do stupid things!"

She gave him a crooked smile. "What makes you think we'd do anything stupid?"

"Oh, I don't know. Kinda crossed my mind."

"Don't worry, Cy. We'll behave."

* * *

It was a stunningly beautiful night. The sky was cloudless and the air limpid, the starts shining so bright that one could feel them being just out of arm's reach, the moon a silver sickle cleaving its way through the velvety darkness, the breeze from the sea tangy and refreshing, the murmur of the surf below soothing and reassuring.

"What a wonderful day" he whispered.

She nodded, not wishing to speak, feeling comfortable in his arms, her head on his chest.

"One of the best" he said quietly, thinking aloud.

She looked up at him. "Not _the_ best?"

He smiled at her. "No. But give it time, it's not over yet."

She snuggled closer, making herself more comfortable, feeling him better. "And which one was the best?"

"I dunno, there are several…"

"Such as?"

"When you told me you shared my feelings. When we first kissed without worrying that you would bring the Tower down around us. When we first made love."

She gripped him tighter. "Gar…"

"Mmmm?"

"You have something on your mind."

He looked down at her, kissed her hair and breathed deeply.

His feelings washed over her, confusing her. "Gar, why are you being… shy? Aren't we close enough? What is making you anxious?"

"I… wanted to ask you something."

"Then do it" she said, wishing she could be irritated with his attitude, but only managing to become concerned.

He put his hand in his pocket and brought out a tiny, velvet-bound box, presenting it to her.

She took it, looked at it and her hand closed over it, the knuckles whitening. She embraced him.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"I… don't think I dare."

"Who's being shy now?"

She burrowed her head deeper in his chest, her shoulders shaking. The sheer intensity of the love she was pouring into him was _painful_.

"Rae, please don't… I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I k-know."

"Why don't you open it and see what's inside?"

She was silent a few seconds until she calmed down. "I don't need to open it. I know what's inside."

"Then at least…"

She straightened up, wiped her eyes and opened her hand, looking at the tiny box in her palm. She took it carefully and opened the clasp that held the top, slowly lifting it.

She took the ring out and put the small circle of white gold on her finger. Instead of a stone, it had a tiny Tao circle, its halves made of amethyst and emerald.

She felt the tears sting in her eyes again. She hid them by burying her face in his chest, muffling her voice.

"Yes, Gar. I will."


	10. Argument

**Author's Note:**

Not something that was planned for _Gifts_ , but the beginning of a small story arc. I will try to keep the next chapters connected, but still loose enough to be considered one-offs.

My thanks go to Allen Blaster, who helped me a lot by bouncing some ideas off him and making my "little grey cells" move. Thanks Allen, sorry for the spoiler, and I hope you'll still enjoy this story!

* * *

 **Argument**

Their fight was not over, but at least they silently agreed on a cease-fire. Changeling endeavored to calm himself down by playing some blues on his guitar, while Raven tried to meditate her anger away.

Since the start of her relationship with Garfield, Raven found that she had very little need of meditation. His mere presence had a soothing effect on her, and the love that flowed freely between them through their bond kept her calm and content. Her daily meditation sessions became weekly, and they were much shorter, since she needed much less time to focus and find her center.

But all that was different today. After what just happened she needed it, and he was making it difficult for her.

"Gar, could you give it a rest with the music for a while? I must meditate" she said, her tone sharp, her voice cold.

"Sorry, Rae. I didn't know it bothered you" he said just as coldly, ending his blues improvisation with a minor chord and placing his guitar almost reverently into its case.

The anger she had just managed to fight down a few minutes ago threatened to burst through again. "It doesn't _bother_ me, Gar. Your music could never _bother_ me. But it is making it difficult for me to meditate."

"In other words, it bothers you."

"Stop twisting my words!"

"I'll be in my room."

He allowed the anger and disdain that were overpowering him to crash into her and then he shut himself off to their bond, leaving her room in a huff.

 _I've really had it with her bossy attitude and her insistence on having her way. I'm not going to let her do this to me. How can she not see how much it means to me?_

He walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him, dropping on the lower bunk, his face scowling, his eyes glowing in anger.

 _No, Raven. That was the last time. The last straw. Find yourself someone else that'll follow you around like a puppy and play tricks for you every time you snap your fingers, just to get a small treat thrown down from your high-and-mightiness._

Meanwhile, Raven floated a foot off the ground in her room, her body in lotus position. But her fists were clenched and her teeth ground together as she allowed the rage and disappointment to fill her, not bothering any more to fight them or control them.

 _Damn that stubborn, obstinate, mulish, green head of his! Why can't he just for once listen to reason? Can't he understand how important this is to me? I'm sick of his temper tantrums and his irrational insistence to live in his own dreamworld!_

She realized that she wouldn't be able to focus while so enraged, but she just didn't care. Her anger just felt so _good._

 _Oh, no, Garfield. I won't tolerate that any more. Azar knows how much I've allowed you your way in everything, how I pampered and spoiled you. Not any more. Find yourself some tart that's going to bow to your childish whims, because I am not._

Her eyes flashed red for an instant.

 _Let's end this._

She stretched her legs to the floor and released the levitation, leaving her room, looking for him.

He rose from the bunk, his mind made up. His eyes blazing emerald, he left his room, looking for her.

 _Time to finish it._

They met in the hallway, icy violet stare meeting merciless green gaze.

"Last chance, Raven" he said, his voice choked with anger.

"Yes. Last chance. For you, Garfield" she responded, the very air carrying her voice recoiling at the cosmic coldness in it.

"Then that's it."

"That's it, Garfield. You have no one to blame but yourself."

"Oh, I am not blaming anyone. I'm just glad my eyes opened finally."

"Good that we could agree on something. Now go, and stay away from me!"

"Oh, I will. Just don't follow me around!"

Raven sneered, while Changeling barked a disdainful laugh. They turned around and went away in opposite directions.

* * *

Cyborg shivered at the sudden sensation of cold he felt and looked up from his huge sandwich. Nothing appeared out of place in the Ops room. Nightwing was sitting at a terminal, Starfire leaning on his desk and speaking softly to him, a smile on her face. Raven was sitting on the couch, reading. Changeling was also sitting on the couch, flicking channels on the TV with the sound muted.

He shrugged, turning his attention back to the sandwich, carefully picking it up, mindful that it doesn't unravel, and opening his mouth to take a huge bite off. He suddenly froze, then put the sandwich gently back down on the plate, his eyes carefully looking at his two best friends sitting on the couch.

 _They always sit close together, sometimes even embraced. Now they're sitting as far away from each other as possible, and that coldness I felt is definitely coming from them._

 _Well, Gar's birthday is next month; that means they were what, ten months together? And all that time without a fight? Good track record. But this does look serious._

He sighed and got up. _I guess I'm gonna have to beat some sense into them._

He strode over to Changeling and glared down at him. Garfield lifted his eyes and gave him an angry glance.

"Come with me, Evergreen."

Cyborg turned around and went for the counter. Changeling grumbled, got up and followed him.

"Sit!" Cyborg said, pointing to a high chair beside the counter. "Wait."

Scowling, Changeling did as ordered, following him with his eyes. Cyborg went to Raven next.

He picked up a page marker that was on the coffee table and placed it in her book, taking it gently but firmly from her hands, closing it and laying it down on the table. Raven looked at him, annoyed. He glared back. "Follow me."

She rose and followed him to the counter, frowning at him, pointedly ignoring Garfield.

"Sit."

She sat down beside Changeling and looked away from him. He returned the favor. Seeing how they were behaving, Cyborg smothered a laugh. He went over to the other side of the counter and faced them.

"Now speak."

They both kept staring in opposite directions, silent.

"I said, _speak_ " Cyborg said softly but menacingly.

They both spoke at the same time.

"She's being bossy!"

"He's being stubborn!"

They obviously considered that their explanation was complete and full, leaving no doubts as to what happened. Cyborg, however, still needed to clear some details.

"Now I know y'all are angry at each other, but yer gonna tell me all that happened, _with details_ , or else I'll beat so much sense into you that y'all's gonna have to squint through yer bellybuttons to see where yer going! Am I making myself _clear?_ "

They both looked at him, startled. Cyborg seldom lost his cool and his easy-going attitude, and he was never intimidating – not to his friends. He certainly looked that way now.

Both looked down at the counter, cowed and blushing.

"It's because of…" Garfield began.

"… the wedding." Raven finished.

"The _WHAT?_ "

Cyborg's incredulous shout made Nightwing and Starfire interrupt their conversation and look over, surprised.

"We are… were supposed to…" Garfield began.

"… get married." Raven finished.

" _MARRIED?_ "

Two jaws dropped to the floor. Two sets of eyes – one green, one masked – stared incredulously over at the trio.

"Yes, I… I proposed to Rae, and…" Garfield began.

"… and I… I accepted." Raven finished.

Cyborg shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them and glared at the abashed couple. His voice was soft and quiet, but the undercurrent of anger rivaled even Raven's famous threatening hisses.

"Would you two mind explaining to me just how something as joyous as your impending marriage could cause you to become so angry at each other?"

"It has to do with how big…" Garfield began.

"… the ceremony will be." Raven finished.

"I don't _freakin' BELIEVE YOU TWO!_ " Cyborg shouted, then pulled himself together. "All right, all right. Let's all calm down. Let's all just _calm down_ and find a compromise solution that will keep everyone happy, shall we?"

"We already tried to find…" Garfield began.

"… a compromise solution." Raven finished.

Cyborg's face darkened. "Well, then, it seems you haven't been _TRYING HARD ENOUGH!_ " Cyborg took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "All right. Let's all just calm down. Nice and easy. Now what specific part of the ceremony has you two at each other's throats?"

"It has to do with how many…" Garfield began.

"… guests we are going to invite." Raven finished.

"And you were clawing each other's eyes out over THAT?"

"It's not only that, Chrome Dome!" Changeling finally broke the spell holding them, his resentment pouring out. "She doesn't understand how much it means to me –"

" _I_ don't understand? And why is it that you just don't care how important it is to me –"

" _SILENCE!_ "

All three breathed heavily. Cyborg looked up.

He pointed his finger at Raven. "Eeny, meeny, miney, mo!" he finished, his finger pointing at Garfield. "You speak. You –" he glared at Raven "– you shut up and listen. You'll get your chance later."

"Well, it's either invite just about everybody that we know, or make it a very small and private ceremony, less than ten people."

"Let me guess" Cyborg sneered. "You want to have everyone and their boyfriends, girlfriends, dogs and pets invited, while Rae wants just the five of us and maybe Jinx and Leo, am I right?"

"Really, Victor, you're being an idiot!" Raven shouted.

"I thought you were smarter than that, Rust Brain!" Changeling snarled.

Cyborg gaped at them, his mouth open.

"Do you really think I could deny Garfield the joy of having everyone present at our wedding?" Raven said angrily.

"Do you really think I could force Rae to go through a ceremony with hundreds of guests around?" Changeling said, furious.

They both turned and shouted "I DON'T CARE!" at each other.

Cyborg's hand was on his face. He was desperately trying to control himself. Raven and Changeling exchanged glares.

"I just want you to be happy!" she shouted at Changeling.

"I won't be happy if you're going to be uncomfortable!" he shouted back.

"I will _not_ be uncomfortable, because I'll know that you'll be glad to have all your friends around you!"

"And it will ruin it for me, because I will spend the entire ceremony worrying about you, knowing how crowds affect you!"

"It won't affect me!"

"That's not true, and you know it!"

" _ENOUGH!_ "

The conflicted couple stopped their exchange and looked back at Cyborg, waiting for him to speak.

"Grass Stain. What is the maximum – absolute maximum – of people that you will tolerate?"

"If there are more than ten people in the ceremony, I won't be there!"

Cyborg forced a growl back into his throat and turned to Raven.

"How about you, little sis?"

"If there's any Titan, be it full-time or honorary, that's not present at the ceremony, I'm not marrying anyone!"

"I love how you two keep very flexible positions. It makes my mediating job so easy!"

"If he would just –" "If she could only –"

Cyborg's snarl silenced them.

"I see you want to do this the hard way!"

"I really don't see why there's a problem" a sarcastic voice sounded from the elevator door. "There's an easy solution."

They all turned to look at Jinx strutting in, her trademark sneer wide.

"Well, well. So that's it for you two. You're settling down, hmmm? Maybe thinking of starting a family?"

"Don't be absurd, Jinx!" Raven growled. "You said there was an easy solution. What is it?"

"Simple. Garfield's birthday is next month. So you invite everyone you know, and even more if you want. You were going to do it anyway, right? Then you announce the wedding."

"Oh, that's just a fantastic idea!" Changeling yelled at her. "And how do we avoid inviting everyone to the wedding then? Without pissing anyone off?"

"I thought that was obvious! Perform the ceremony in Azarath!"

* * *

"Y'know, you told me not to be angry at Jinx for what she did on Garth's birthday, but I couldn't help being at least annoyed with her. But now she's made up for it in spades!" Garfield said, hugging Raven close, enjoying her warmth close to him.

"She's a good friend, Gar" she said, snuggling in more comfortably.

He turned to her, kissed her lightly and growled at her playfully.

"I gotta say, that was intense. Was it because we fought?"

"I have heard that making love to make up was the best there is" she said, a crooked smile on her lips. "I admit it was… memorable."

"You mean all those other times it was forgettable?" he asked, teasing.

"Garfield! What kind of question is that?"

"Hey, you said it!"

She opened her mouth to shout at him, then realized what he was doing.

"That was sneaky, Gar!"

He laughed. "Can't blame me for trying!"

"Oh, you!"

He stole a few tiny kisses from her, hugging her closer.

"Rae?"

"Mmmhmmm?"

"D'you know… Do you remember any reason that we could have a fight over?"

"We'll figure something out" she said and kissed him deeply.


	11. Azarath, Pt 1

**Author's Note:** Here's another two-parter (unless I get inspired and make it a three-parter!)

As mentioned, this is not something that was planned for Gifts, it just came out as a result of things happening in previous chapters. Yeah, I know, these are supposed to be unconnected one-shots, and I'm ending up connecting them all into a loose story, but that's the way it's coming out. I haven't noticed any complaints yet :-)

* * *

 **Azarath, Part 1**

"Ready, Gar?"

"I guess I am" Changeling said, his voice steady, but Raven could feel his apprehension flow into her through their bond. She smiled reassuringly, planting a small kiss on his lips.

"Nothing to worry about, Garfield" she said, a smirk forming on her face. "I'll just use demonic magic to transport us to a separate dimension, where you will meet my mother and receive her blessing for our upcoming nuptials. What's so scary about that?"

"Not fair, Raven!"

She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "Did I tell you I love you recently?"

"You don't do that very often."

"You do it more than enough for both of us."

"I love you."

"There, you see?"

"I suppose I'll have to hug you close so I don't fall into some unknown plane of existence?"

"Of course."

He kissed her back. "Then I'll just have to do my best. Let's go."

Her soul-self emerged and enveloped them in its black, misty tendrils. He felt her magic course through him and around him.

 _I used to be scared of it. I remember the first time we met… But not any more. It's part of her, just like her eyes, her hands. Just like her soul. It may look black and cold from outside, but it's gentle, loving, caring, protective… God, how I love you, Raven._

The misty tendrils around them thickened and darkened. He thought he could feel their speed increasing for a moment, then everything slowly returned to normal and they continued their travel. He realized she reacted to the feelings coming from him and that he had made her lose focus for an instant. He felt the elation that always permeated him when he managed to accomplish something like that. Even after almost a year of being together, the feeling was just as sharp, just as pleasurable, just as poignant as the first day.

"It's not a good idea to affect my concentration now, Gar" she whispered in his ear.

"I know" he whispered back. "It's just…"

"Hush now. We'll have time for that, and much more when we arrive."

Garfield looked up, trying to see where they were going through the black cloud that moved them. They were approaching a small disk floating in the nondescript, non-describable nothingness of the interdimensional void. It slowly resolved itself into a mandala, the geometric shapes inscribed in it appearing to constantly shift and change, the sharp lines and gentle curves revealing more details as one looked more carefully into it, its fractal-like quality gently but irresistibly forcing his gaze deeper into it, making him forget about himself while he searched in vain for the bottom, the edge, the non-existent ending to the complexity.

"Don't do it. You'll lose yourself" came her gentle warning. He blinked, snapping out of it.

"What is it?"

"The Seal. It keeps evil out."

As they flew through it, he felt a slight discomfort, immediately forgotten as their bond made him sense the agony that flashed in her. His arms embraced her harder, his concern for her overwhelming him for a moment, but then they were through. Her pain receded and disappeared. He opened his mouth to ask her what it was, but she cut him off.

"Later. We're almost there. Look!"

He gazed to where she pointed. An island of rock floating above… nothing, a mountain torn from its foundations and set adrift. Small buildings – houses? – dotted much of it, with several larger buildings clustered together, tall spires rising from them, not in pride but in celebration of beauty. It was at once breathtaking and soothing, joyful and contemplative, surprising and familiar.

He watched, almost enraptured, as they floated closer with deceptive speed. The place was huge, easily the size of Jump City with its surrounding area, and he could see more details now. Small mountain streams descended from the top, feeding tiny, limpid lakes with their sparkling waterfalls; thick forests and grass meadows covered large portions of it. His affinity with Nature told him immediately that they were untouched and untroubled, even the eternal natural conflict of eat-or-be-eaten he could feel flowing from them somehow appropriate, primal, unsullied.

They landed. Changeling was still in a daze from what he was seeing and sensing, but an almost inaudible sigh and feeling of relief coming from Raven tore him away from it.

"Are you OK, mamma? I felt pain…"

"I'm fine, Gar. I told you, the seal keeps evil out. Never forget what I carry inside."

"How can I? Love. Care. Generosity. Beauty."

"That's not what I mean and you know it, Garfield!" she replied sharply, angered at his levity.

"Then what do you mean, Rae? I know you. I feel you every minute of every day, while we sleep, while we talk, while we sit quietly and drink tea in the morning. I know all of you, Raven. Even what you hide."

"Garfield, you never really met my worst part. You don't want –"

"I didn't? Not when you scared the living daylights off Doctor Light? Or when you were angry at us for trying to celebrate your birthday? Or when we… became one?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "You said you didn't remember that."

He passed his hand over his eyes. "I don't. But that doesn't mean I don't know. Somehow I can feel what I was, what you were, what _we_ were. I don't like to think about it, but I know it's there."

 _He can still surprise me, after all this time together,_ she thought. "Gar, it's better –"

"When I kiss you, I kiss all of you, Raven. Even your demon. When I make love to you…"

She looked down, blushing. _How does he do that to me?_

She felt his mirth and looked up sharply at his grinning face. For a moment she wanted to be angry at him, but there was not a trace of mocking in his soul. He was just happy that he was able to make her react so, reveling in the feeling that she returned the love he felt for her. Overcame, she embraced him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

* * *

As they approached the city they started meeting more and more of its inhabitants. Most of them were dressed like Raven, in long, flowing, hooded cloaks hiding what was under. The colors were mostly subdued, white or light grey, but there were enough reds and oranges and greens to give the place a lively, joyful appearance without being garish or forced. He liked it.

He also started sensing that they were attracting attention. Actually, _he_ was attracting attention. Not that he wasn't used to it; even in a city like Jump, where metahumans, both heroic and villainous were a dime a dozen, he attracted the stares of those around him. And yet… all that he could feel here was calm interest, mild curiosity. He could sense it through the bond he had with Raven, through her own empathic sense; he could smell it on the passersby, he could hear the slight change in the rhythm of their steps and their breathing. But he could not find a trace of the revulsion, the loathing and – what was worst – the pity that he sensed directed at him when he was in the streets of Jump or any other city on Earth. It was a heady feeling. It almost made him feel like he… _belonged_ here.

Raven glanced at him, noting his emotions. She sighed inwardly.

 _I know it is a beautiful place, Gar. I know that for the first time in a long while you feel that strangers do not fear you because you're different, mothers do not hide their children from you, men do not get tense and their protective instincts do not flare up at the sight of you._

She quickly smothered the sorrow she felt rising in her.

 _But it is not a place for us. As much as we could live on here, free from care and judgment, it is not our home. It will never be. We have chosen a different path._

She pushed the thought from her mind. It was not the time to dwell on it. She walked the familiar streets and avenues, sensing where her mother was, guiding them towards her.

"Here we are, Gar" she said as they stopped in front of a small but carefully tended house. "My mother is inside."

He nodded, the apprehension invading him again, constricting his throat. He knew that any answer would come out an octave higher and elected not to speak and embarrass himself. Raven gave him a small, reassuring smile as she opened the door and pulled him in.

* * *

Arella was already walking to the door, having sensed their arrival. She embraced Raven lovingly.

"I am glad you're back, Raven. I hope this time –"

She cut herself off, her eyes going to Changeling, standing awkwardly at the entrance. Arella's eyes widened in shock. She pushed Raven gently away and looked at her.

"Raven… Daughter, is this your… boyfriend?"

Raven's features creased in a small frown as she sensed the surprise and a feeling of almost… awe? coming from her mother.

"Yes, this is Garfield, my fiancée."

Arella walked over to Garfield, placing her hands on his shoulders, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"He is…" she started, then choked. She turned to Raven. "Where did you… Raven, don't you realize what he is? _How_ he is?"

Raven's frown was starting to turn into a scowl, but she could feel no rejection, no fear, no negative feelings whatsoever in Arella. Only shock, disbelief and elation.

"I don't understand, mother. What are you trying to say?"

"Look into his soul, Raven!"

"I have. Many times. What's so strange about it?"

"He is… innocent. Untarnished. Is it not obvious?"

"So is everyone else around us, Arella. What's so strange about it?"

"He is not from here! People here have cleansed themselves from evil, that's why you can't sense it, but he's… _naturally_ so!"

The implications of Arella's words finally hit her. Her mouth opened, but she couldn't find any word to force through her throat.

Changeling's face was getting dark green. He didn't understand anything, but he knew he was on display, and he didn't like it one bit. Arella turned to him.

"I'm sorry, Garfield, you are absolutely right. We are discussing you as if you were a museum exhibit" she said, then looked more closely at him. "Like… an animal in the zoo."

His anger flared at the comparison, but he immediately understood that there was no malicious intent behind it. He swallowed his anger, knowing it was unmerited. Arella placed a soothing hand over his shoulder and gently led him to the table, offering him a seat.

"You see?" Arella spoke both to Raven and to him. "Even your anger – the one you are feeling right now – it's not evil; it's the reaction of a prodded animal, natural in its origin."

He felt the anger rise again. "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I'm blunt, but I'd prefer if you would not compare me –"

Arella's eyebrows went up. "To an animal? But you are. It is what you carry inside, is it not? I am sorry if I'm offending you, it was not my intention."

Changeling blushed even darker green. Arella laughed, the soft, musical sound comforting.

"Oh, Garfield, don't tell me I will have the same problems with you as I had with my daughter!"

"Problems?" he asked, his confusion mounting.

"Both of you are trying to hide what you carry within for some reason. Whatever it is, it is _you_ and it defines you, for better or worse." Arella gave him a piercing glance. "Even the Beast in you. You should not be ashamed of it. It is a force of Nature, dangerous, even deadly; like a volcano, or a tornado, or the leap of a hunting panther. But it is not evil."

Raven frowned, feeling Garfield's discomfort. "Arella, you're making him – you're making both of us uncomfortable!"

Arella sighed. "I apologize. Please, Garfield, do not take my words as a slight. It's been so many years that I've been away from the world, that I sometimes forget how people can be sensitive. Will you forgive me?"

"I… It's OK, Arella. Can I call you that? It's just that I'm not used to… People usually don't call me that…"

"Unless they want to insult you, am I correct?"

He looked at the floor. "Yes."

"Just shows how stupid people can get" she said with a slight frown. She turned to Raven again with a smile. "He does have adorable ears!"

"Mother!"

* * *

"That is wonderful, Raven! Of course you two have my blessing! I will start preparing it immediately! It will be as fine a ceremony as Azarath had ever seen!"

Changeling shifted on his seat, uncomfortable, opening his mouth to say something, then snapping it shut. Arella looked at him carefully.

"It is comforting to know you care so much for my daughter, Garfield. Do not be concerned. We are all empaths, and we know how uncomfortable it can get when there is a crowd around. I promise you, Raven will be happy and relaxed."

He let his breath out slowly. "Are you sure, Arella? I don't want to –"

"I am sure. Is it not so, Raven?"

Raven nodded, smiling. She allowed herself a moment to enjoy the love she felt flowing into her from both.

"Arella is right. You don't have to worry about me being uncomfortable here, Gar."

He sensed she was telling the truth. He relaxed and flashed a toothy grin.

"That was unfair, two on one, but you have a deal!"

"Wonderful! But there is one thing I would like to ask from both of you first" Arella said.

Raven lifted a questioning eyebrow. For some reason, Garfield started feeling awkward again.

"I wish you to meet the leaders of Azarath. They must see you, Garfield. You are the natural embodiment of what Azarath stands for, of what it always stood for."

He stole a quick glance to Raven. She smiled at him. "There's nothing to it, Gar. Remember that this is a place of peace, a sanctuary of Good. Nothing and no one will harm you in any way or form."

"I really don't see what's so special –"

"You are one of a kind, Garfield. There is no evil in you. I sense that you lived through many hardships, seen much sadness and felt much loss, but none of that made you bitter or resentful. You are a breath of fresh air, a beacon of hope and steadfastness. How can we avoid not to marvel at one as you?"

Garfield looked at the floor, blushing fiercely.

"That's enough, mother. You'll spoil him!"

"More than what you have already?" Arella queried with a crooked smile. _They are so alike right now,_ Garfield thought.

Arella rose. "It is late and you are tired. You also probably wish to reaffirm your love. I'll show you to your room."

Changeling got up, sensing a sudden small twinge of embarrassment coming from Raven. He looked at her and noticed she was blushing slightly. Confused, he followed them to their room.

"Here you go. We will meet in the morning to straighten out some details during breakfast, then you can return home. Have a pleasant night and get some rest!"

She closed the door, leaving them alone. Garfield noticed the single, large bed. He suddenly understood Raven's blush and Arella's words.

"Rae, did she just tell us… I mean, she… your mom…"

Raven sighed. "She did, Gar. Don't forget that this is also a place of Love. For a couple to… get together, it's not only tolerated, it's encouraged."

He took her in his arms. "I'm liking this place better every minute."

She kissed him. "I knew you would" she whispered.


	12. Azarath - Intermission

**Author's Note:**

This started as a small, short drabble that came over me last night and wouldn't let me sleep until I had it thought out. So this morning I started to write it down, knowing I had to get it out or it will keep pestering me until I do. As I did, it ballooned into much more than I bargained for initially, but I'm still quite happy with it. Consider it a small intermission to the Azarath arc. It should not break continuity.

* * *

 **Azarath, Intermission**

A shy voice followed the knocking on her door. "Friend Raven? May I come in?"

The door shone with black light for an instant and then slid open.

"Of course you can, Starfire."

The tall alien floated in, her eyes accustoming themselves to the gloom. She noticed Raven in her typical meditation pose, her body floating a couple of feet above the floor in lotus position, her face tranquil, her eyes regarding her calmly.

"I hope I am not doing the interrupting of your meditation," Starfire said, worried.

"Of course not, Star. I have very little need of meditation since… a few months ago."

"Since you started the 'going out' with friend Changeling, yes?"

Raven smiled. "Exactly."

Starfire returned her smile as she also folded her legs in lotus position, emulating Raven and floating closer to her.

"I wished to ask… about some of your Earthly customs."

Raven felt the turmoil in her soul and lifted an eyebrow. "What is it, Star? After so many years, I'd suppose you knew all our quirky customs already!"

"Of course I do, at least I know the most of them, but…"

Raven hid another small smile. It did not take a great leap of imagination to connect Starfire's emotional state to recent developments.

"You want to know about marriage?"

Starfire nodded, blushing.

"Kori, you have marriage on Tamaran, also. Weren't you engaged a few years ago?"

"On Tamaran, marriage is used to bring the families into the togetherness," Starfire said, her voice trembling slightly. "It has more of the characteristics of the contract, for the mutual support and the defense of the clans thus united."

Raven sighed, her mind racing. She realized this was a very delicate question and that a wrong answer could hurt Starfire deeply.

"You are a princess, Starfire. Here on Earth, it is virtually a rule that such high-ranking members of society marry because of… political and diplomatic necessities, rather than from…" she let her voice trail off, not wishing to say it.

"I… see. I had hoped that… it would not be the issue." Starfire's distress grew. Raven realized she had made a mistake.

"Kori, I –"

A green glow appeared in Starfire's eyes. He stretched her legs to the floor and embraced Raven gently.

"No, friend Raven. Do not be sad for me." Her unquenchable happiness radiated into Raven, but the bitter taste of her sorrow still pervaded it, a drop of bile in a jar of honey. "It is the most joyful occasion for you, and it is unseemly of me to do the lessening of your jubilance."

"You are not –"

"I know. But I can feel how much of the importance this act has for you, and how much friend Changeling's proposal has made you happy, and I could not help myself doing the wondering…"

Raven chose her words carefully.

"It does not affect our relationship, Kori. Nothing will be different after it. We love each other now, and we will love each other after. It's not… such a big deal."

A crooked smile appeared on Starfire's face. "I do not have the empathic powers, friend Raven, but I do know when you try to obscure the truth to me. If the marrying of you to friend Changeling was 'not such a big deal', then why is it that you are doing the radiating of the joy these few days of the last?"

Raven felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "It's just a… a promise. A promise that we will be together, through good and bad, for the rest of our lives. That's all it is."

"It is hardly the small thing, nor something that should be promised in the lightly manner."

Raven's blush deepened. "Yes, but –"

Starfire kissed her on the cheek, cutting her off. Raven could feel her sorrow give ground, lessen, wither.

"My heart sings with joy for you and friend Changeling," she whispered fiercely. "I do hope that your promises will do the binding of you, as you said, for the rest of your lives."

"T-thank you, Kori," Raven stammered, overcame by the sheer happiness pouring out of the alien girl.

"I shall leave you now to your joy, friend Raven. You have opened the eyes for me. I am content with what I have now, as it is much more than what I would have than if I had made the staying… in Tamaran… and never did the meeting…"

"Kori…"

"No, friend Raven. I have allowed myself to feel the sorrow and the regret again, and there is nothing for me to have the sorrow about. I thank you for letting me do the seeing."

She kissed Raven on the cheek again and flitted out of her room, closing the door behind her.

Raven sighed as she watched her leave. _Oh, Gar, where are you? I need you now. I need you to hug me, Gar. I used to hate hugging, but I'd give anything now just to feel your arms around me and put my head on your chest, listen to your heart beat… Where are you?_

She sensed him moving through the tower, radiating… anger? Why was he angry? She disentangled her legs from the lotus position and walked out, looking for him.

* * *

Changeling was angry. He had just rounded the corner of the hallway, going for Raven's room, when he saw Starfire float in. As he approached the door, his sensitive ears heard the conversation, his bond with Raven revealing the emotions coursing through both girls. His teeth ground together and he whirled around, long strides taking him quickly towards his goal, his decision made in an instant.

"Come in!" he heard in response to his knocking.

He walked in, closed the door and turned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why are you being such an idiot, Richard?"

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about, Gar?" Nightwing asked, his brow furrowing at the anger he heard in Changeling's voice.

"I'm talking about Starfire! About Koriand'r!"

"What about her?" Nightwing's frown deepened. "Is she all right?"

"She is _not_ all right, and I am amazed that you didn't notice!" Changeling almost shouted.

"What is it? I was with her until half an hour ago, and she was fine –"

Changeling took a deep breath. "Dude, I guess it's true what they say, that there is none more blind than the one that refuses to see. Are you really refusing to see? Can't you face it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, man!"

Changeling walked over to Nightwing and gripped his shoulders hard.

"Look, it was hard for me too, dude! But I've thought about it for a long time and finally I've found the courage to ask Raven. You two have been together longer than us. Why didn't you? What's keeping you from doing it?"

Nightwing's eyes widened as he understood what this was all about. "You mean…"

Garfield nodded.

"But I… I didn't… You say this is affecting her?"

"Dick, she sees Raven and me getting married, promising each other we'll be together always. She loves you and she knows you love her. She doesn't understand why you haven't done the same thing as I. She may be… jumping at the wrong conclusions."

Richard dropped his gaze for a moment, then frowned again and looked defiantly at Changeling.

"That's stupid!" he shouted. "It's just a… a ceremony, a tradition, an empty formality!"

Changeling's face darkened and he opened his mouth to shout back at Nightwing, when a black portal opened beside them and Raven stepped through, grabbing his arm.

"Don't say it," she commanded. "It's their choice. It's their life, their personal decision."

He looked at her, feeling her touch drain the anger from him. Nightwing watched them, his eyes narrowed.

"Are you both in this? Is this some elaborate scam to get me to do what you want me to?"

"No, Richard. Garfield acted on impulse, as usual. I'm sorry, we'll leave you alone now."

"We will not," Changeling said calmly but firmly. "I know it's personal, and I know it's none of my business, but –"

"But _what_ , Gar?" Nightwing snarled at him. "Raven's right. It's none of your business. It is my – it is _our_ personal decision. We will do it when the time is right. And that's not now."

"And when will it be? How long will you let her suffer –"

"Garfield!" Raven said warningly, pulling him to the door. "That's enough! Let's go!"

Raven had restrained Garfield, but Nightwing was still worked up. " _Suffer?_ You think she suffers _now?_ What do you think she'll feel if – why can't you just understand this is my personal life? Why can't you get it through that thick, green, stupid, immature _skull_ of yours?"

He suddenly closed his mouth and his face went white, realizing what he just said. "Gar, I'm sorry…"

Garfield was looking at him with a pitying expression, but Raven slowly turned and faced him. Her eyes were blazing while her voice was soft and calm, masking the rage beneath.

"This is the first and the last time that you insult Garfield in front of me, Richard."

Changeling placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Rae…"

She shook his hand off and advanced on Nightwing.

" _Raven!_ Enough!" Garfield's voice cracked like a whip, startling Raven out of her rage. "Let's all just take a few deep breaths and calm down, OK?"

They stared at each other until Nightwing turned and walked to the desk, grabbing its edges with both hands. His knuckles whitened.

"I'm… sorry. I said things I didn't mean, that I would never mean. Please forgive me."

"Don't ask us for forgiveness," Raven said in an icy voice. "Ask her."

"Rae, please. You're not helping." Changeling turned to Richard. "Dude, _why?_ Is there a reason, or are you just…"

Nightwing whirled around, facing them again. "What if I get hurt? What if _she_ gets hurt? How will she… How will _I_ go through it? I just couldn't, Gar. Not again. I just _couldn't._ "

He was shaking. Raven moved closer but Changeling stopped her with a touch and a feeling. He stepped over to Nightwing and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in sympathy and understanding.

"You know I share a bond with Rae?"

Nightwing looked at him. "You never told me. But I think I knew, I think I felt it… a shadow of your feelings flowing through her. I wasn't sure if it was her empathy or something else."

"It's something else. Like what you two share, only much, much stronger."

"I see. Why is this important?"

"When Rae was in Siberia, I… that alien thing attacked her. It tried to suck out all the energy and warmth from her, leave her frozen. Leo saved her, but she was hurt, and in pain."

Raven shuddered, remembering the abyssal cold she felt at the very core of her being that time.

"It woke me up, Richard. Six thousand miles away, it woke me up. I was cold, I was hurting, I felt her pain and her fear. But that pain was peanuts. Do you know what hurt more? What kept me awake all that night, even when I could feel her getting better, even when I knew she was now safe and unharmed?"

"I… think I do."

Changeling nodded. "I _wasn't there_ , dude. She was in danger, and I wasn't there. I don't know what I'd do if…" his voice almost broke. He took a deep breath.

"In the morning I knew what I had to do. I went and had the ring made, and I proposed to her the very first night she returned. Do you know why? Do you understand me?"

Nightwing frowned. "Not really. If you were –"

"Because it could happen again! Because we are in a dangerous business here, and this can happen any day! And I'd be damned if I was going to allow _one single day more_ to pass without letting her know how much.. how…" Changeling squeezed his eyes shut, trying to control himself. Raven stood quietly, watching and listening, feeling her chest and throat tighten at the words.

"I… see" Nightwing said softly. "I think I understand you. But –"

"No buts! If it happens, it's gonna _hurt_. No matter if you're married or not. Your reason sucks."

Nightwing chuckled. "I guess you're right. I'll… think about it, OK? I promise I'll think about it and I'll try to… do the right thing."

"You do that. We'll leave you now."

They left silently, closing the door. He stood there for a few moments, then turned to the desk and opened a locked drawer.

He removed a small, velvet-bound box from the drawer and placed it on the table, opening it and gazing at the ring he had bought months ago, the ring that he left sitting there, unforgotten but ignored all that time.

A small smile appeared on his face, then he gently closed the box, placed it back in the drawer and locked it. With a deep sigh, he rose and went to work on the many things that required his attention.


	13. Azarath, Pt 2

**Author's Notes:**

I was carrying this in me for a long time. Besides being the continuation of the Azarath/Wedding story arc, it is a collection of my thoughts on Azarath and what it stands for, on what was done and why, and what I hope came out of it. I tried to stay within the bounds of canonical history, but what happened after Trigon's banishment is my own take on things. It may not be everyone's idea, and I may be stepping on some sensitive toes, but by all means please let me know what you think – especially if you don't agree with my views.

It may be a bit pretentious and even boring, I don't know. I only know I wanted to post it for a long time. I hope that it will be well received. And if you prefer something a bit more light-hearted, with more action and less dilettante philosophy and amateur psychology, I'll try to have a bit more action and humor in the next chapters as a counterbalance. But for now, please bear with me.

The couch scene is a small tribute to (euphemism for 'shamelessly stolen from') Allen Blaster's _The White Stick_. Thanks Allen, I hope you'll like it!

* * *

 **Azarath, Part 2**

"They should go, too, Gar" Raven said suddenly.

Changeling's eyes flew open, his head turning to look at her, amazed that she broke the sacred silence of their morning tea time.

"It's important, Gar. For you, and therefore also for me."

"Please, Rae, we went through this" he said, more surprised than annoyed.

"We did, and we fought over it, and we made love to make up. But we decided nothing."

He grinned. "I liked the 'making up' part."

"So did I" she smiled back. "Don't change the subject."

"It's just that I don't see _why._ "

"Because it's important for your friends to see you facing the High Council of Azarath. It is important for them to realize what you are. And it is important to _you_. Much more so, I daresay."

"They know who and what I am. That's why they're friends, after all. I don't understand why you and your mother think I'm so special –"

"It's my fault, Gar. I blame myself for not seeing before what you are. And I want our friends to understand it, too."

"Rae, whatever I am, I'm the same as I was before! I haven't changed!"

She smiled at him. "Thank Azar, you haven't. Except that you are more serious, and more mature, and smarter, and your jokes are actually starting to be funny, and –"

He blushed. "OK, I get the idea. But…"

She ran her fingers down his chest and torso. "You are also more… muscular" she purred. His blush deepened. She moved her head closer and whispered in his ear.

"I remember when someone convinced me to do something that I didn't want to do at first."

He chuckled. "Oh, yes? And how did this happen?"

"Well, he promised me that he'd make it up to me…" she whispered seductively, her breath tickling his ear, making him shiver.

"You don't say" he grinned. "And how would this be accomplished?"

"Let me see… we could start with something like _this_ …" he felt the heat of her breath as she nipped his ear, the electrifying tingle coursing through his body down his spine, making her tremble slightly as she sensed it for her own through their bond.

He tried to squirm out of her embrace ineffectually. "Rae, didn't we just… do this… less than an hour ago?"

"And that is relevant how?" she whispered as she sought – and found – more places under his jaw, on his throat and his neck; her lips and her small, sharp teeth making his head spin and his muscles convulse.

"We're… in the… Ops room…"

"I do think we are" she smirked as she moved to sit in his lap, making herself comfortable and putting an end to his half-hearted attempts to extricate himself. Her right arm went around him, while the left one started roaming over him, again seeking out all those spots she knew so well. Their love was all about giving, not taking, Raven thought, smiling to herself. But their bond rewarded them richly for it, allowing them to feel the pleasure they were gifting each other, taking their own rapture to incredible heights. It was not only sensual, thrilling, joyful. It was also addictive. She was addicted to him, to the feelings she sensed in him and to those he awoke in her; to his scent and his warmth, to his body and his soul. She _needed_ him; he was her way of suspending reality for a moment and transporting herself to a realm of bliss and joyfulness, passion and love. She took a deep breath, taking in his musk, noticing it was getting stronger, reacting to her caresses. Not that she was unaware of his arousal, and not only because of their bond.

They kissed hungrily, heatedly, their hands exploring freely, their breaths shortening, all sharp hisses and quick gasps. His hand searched for and found the zipper tab of her leotard. His fingers closed on it, ready to pull it down.

"Ahem!"

Their heads turned as one, one blushing dark green, the other pink.

"I do take it y'all have _rooms?_ With, like, _beds_ in them? And _locks_ on the doors?"

"Aw, c'mon, Chrome Dome! We were just –"

"I know what you were _'just'_ , Greenbean! It was quite obvious!"

Raven smothered a giggle. For all his angry words, she could sense the joy Cyborg felt at seeing them like this, the deep affection he felt for his 'lil' buddy' and his 'little sis' bursting out of him.

She decided she was too comfortable in Garfield's lap. It would take much more than Cyborg's fake anger to make her leave it. She smiled at the half-metal giant, a mischievous glint in her eyes. He raised his eyebrow and the ends of his lips curled up ever so slightly. There was no need for words.

"I suppose y'all will want breakfast!" he grumbled as he opened the fridge and looked for the ingredients. "Something to recover all the burned calories!" he smirked.

"Why thank you, Victor. It is most kind of you!" she prodded him, not able to resist. He looked back at her, trying hard to frown.

"Don't push it, little sis. Good I caught y'all before you were able to besmirch the purity of my couch!"

Changeling was chuckling silently at the exchange, but finally a snort managed to fight its way out. "What purity, Bolt Bucket? Don't tell me that his poor old thing hasn't been abused before –"

"One of the good things about having infrared vision is being able to see the tell-tale traces, Evergreen! And once I see the size of the residual heat signature and work out the relative temperatures, I know exactly who, when and for how long!"

Raven and Changeling blushed again. They used the couch for that purpose only once, but…

"Didya really think y'all could hide something like that from _me_ , Pea Soup?"

Satisfied with his small victory, Cyborg turned back to preparing the breakfast. Raven snuggled more comfortably into Changeling's arms and whispered into his ear.

"You are not off the hook, Garfield Mark Logan. This is just a temporary reprieve."

"Oh my! I am doomed! What shall I do, what shall I do?" he whispered back, a huge grin on his face.

"You'll think of something" she chuckled, relaxing in his arms, listening to his heart, feeling his love washing over her.

* * *

The ghostly black raven landed and opened its wings revealing its burden, collapsing into her normal form. Starfire, Nightwing and Cyborg stood, awestruck, gazing at the sight of Azarath in front of them.

Changeling had other worries, however. He gently took Raven in his arms, feeling the slight tremors that shook her body. He was aware of her exhaustion and the painful ordeal she had to go through as they crossed the Seal.

"Are you OK, mamma?" he whispered concernedly, making sure his friends didn't hear their conversation.

"I'll be fine, Gar. Carrying all four of you drained me. I hoped it would not be this hard, but…"

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Of course there is. You are helping already" she said as she nestled in his arms, gratefully drinking in the love he was pouring into her, feeling it revitalize her, renewing her strength and her power. Completely recovered, she allowed herself a few more moments of enjoyment in his arms, then gave him a small kiss.

"Let's go."

They walked across the city, the three newcomers unabashedly staring at the wonder of it, while Changeling felt the small twinge of anxiety grow in him. He suddenly realized that this place was actually calming him down; if he were on Earth, by now he'd be terrified.

Raven took his hand and squeezed it gently, letting her reassurance flow into him. He smiled at her, feeling the anxiety leave him, at least for now.

Arella received them gladly and showed them all to their rooms, then left them to their own devices.

"The Council meets this evening" she said. "Meanwhile, feel free to do whatever you please."

Raven and Changeling went to their room, while the rest used the opportunity to take in the sights of a place they've never seen before, and probably will never see again.

Changeling sat upright in the bed, propped on bunched-up pillows, his face thoughtful. Raven floated over and made herself comfortable in his arms, placing her head on his chest, keeping quiet, not wishing to disturb him. She kept the happiness she felt covered by a blanket of peacefulness and tranquility so as not to have it burst upon him through their bond. She understood what he was doing better than he did himself; he was almost in a trance, mentally preparing for what he feared was expecting him, balancing his emotions, ordering his thoughts. He was, for lack of a better word, meditating.

Raven fought down a giggle, but some of her happiness filtered into him. He smiled down at her and stroked her hair lovingly. She shifted a little to snuggle better and made herself be quiet again. He floated back into his semi-conscious state, his hand still softly stroking her hair. Raven allowed herself to drown in the peaceful ocean, losing the sensation of time.

The feeling of his lips brushing gently against the jewel on her forehead brought her back from her not-quite-waking, not-quite-dreaming state. She rubbed her forehead against his shoulder and sighed.

"Let's take a little walk" he said quietly.

"Gar…"

"Mmmm?"

"There's something I wanted to tell you."

He wiggled his ears and grinned at her. She snorted. "Get serious, will you?"

He kissed her gently. "I am serious. Believe me."

She hugged him tighter. "Gar, about this evening…"

"What?"

"I just wanted to tell you that whatever you say, whatever you do, whatever you decide, I will be behind you all the way."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you will be speaking for both of us."

He swallowed. "That's not very comforting."

"Look at me, Gar."

He looked down into her deep, violet eyes. There was so much love, so much trust… His breath caught in his throat.

"There is only one being in the whole Universe – in all the Planes of Existence, there is only one person I will trust fully, willingly, without reserve. With my life, my heart and my soul, Garfield."

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to relieve the burning in them.

"I'll… try to live up to it, Rae."

"I know you will."

She buried her head in his chest again. They held each other fiercely for a few seconds, then relaxed.

"Let's fly around a bit, shall we?"

They left the house. Changeling morphed into an albatross, quickly finding and using the thermals to rise high above the city, heading towards the mountain. Raven followed.

He spied a high ledge that offered a fantastic view over the sprawling city and flew towards it. As they approached, they could see a small figure sitting on the ledge, obviously enjoying the sights. It was Starfire.

They landed beside her, sitting on the rim as she was, gazing at the splendor beneath them. It filled the heart and soul with wonder and peacefulness. And yet Raven could feel unease in Starfire, even a twinge of shame and regret.

She touched her hand. "Kori? What is it? Why are you… sad?"

Changeling watched the city below, silent. Starfire sighed.

"It is not my place to judge, friend Raven. I shall refrain from saying what is in my heart now."

"Please, Kori, speak. Is it because –"

A small smile lit up Starfire's face, but the sadness in her eyes deepened. "No, it is not that. We have done the talking about that and there is nothing more to add. It is something else."

Starfire cast a quick glance over at Changeling. The two pairs of green eyes met and Raven could feel the understanding passing between them. Puzzled, she looked at Garfield.

"What is it, you two?"

"Later, Rae. I'll tell you later."

If Raven wasn't an empath, she would be jealous. But the feelings she could sense in both were clear. They were not hiding anything from her. There was strong affection between them, yet well within the boundaries of friendship. There was care and understanding and love for her, love that also made them… sad. She realized that there was something they weren't telling her, something that they thought would hurt her, something that they knew she would have to face sooner or later – just not now.

But Raven was not one to sit meekly and wait for their good will. She turned to Starfire, a small frown creasing her brow.

"Speak, Koriand'r. What is it?"

Starfire glanced at Changeling again. He sighed softly and nodded slightly. She looked back at Raven.

"Friend Raven, we do not wish to sadden or anger you. Friend Changeling will make everything clear to the Council in the evening."

"Kori, I cannot think of anything that you may say that might anger me –"

Starfire gazed at Raven, her own eyes starting to glow intensely. "I will tell you this, then. I am a warrior princess of Tamaran. I have been trained by the Warlords of Okaara in all the arts of the combat, and I have made the dedication of myself to fight for what is the goodness and the justice, to never have the rest until there is pain and suffering anywhere, to make the sacrifice of everything that I have and everything that I am for the achievement of that goal."

Starfire floated up, placing her hand tenderly on Raven's cheek. "And yet nothing will make me feel less of the love that I have for you, friend Raven. Nothing will make me have less of the joy for your happiness, nothing will reduce my delight for knowing that you two have such depth of the affection for each other."

Starfire floated off, then turned towards the city and streaked away in a blur of orange-red, heading for Arella's house.

Raven turned to Changeling. "Gar, what's going on?"

He embraced her gently. "This evening. I promise. Now we must go."

* * *

Garfield walked up the stairs, pushing away all concerns and fears. _It's not a big deal, Gar. They just want to see you and talk to you,_ Raven's words rang in his mind. _And whatever you do, whatever you say, I will be behind you, Garfield. We are in this together._

He approached the courtyard where everyone was gathered, waiting for him. Tall marble columns stood supporting a stone frame, seemingly useless, since there was no roof. Vines climbed the stone pillars, their dark leaves almost black against the cold white of the marble, the life flowing in them increasing the beauty in the lifeless stone. A half-moon was up, its light slowly gaining the upper hand against the receding sunlight, the brightest stars already visible in the sky.

Three Azarathians sat at the far end on simple stone benches while the rest of the High Council watched from the sides. He glimpsed his friends in the front rows on the sides. He felt Raven's love and encouragement flowing into him and responded with a small smile.

"Greetings, young changeling" the Azarathian sitting in the middle said, his voice deep. Garfield expected someone older, but this man was in his mid-fifties, still strong, his hair and beard cropped short and shot through with a little white, framing a dark-skinned face in which his wise, calm and affectionate eyes shone. "My name is Theron. I am the High Magistrate of Azarath. Arella told us much about you."

"Y-yes, my Lord" stammered Changeling. Theron's smile widened.

"I'm nobody's _lord_ , Changeling. People follow me because they consider me wise. I hope I am returning their trust. Just call me Theron."

The man sitting beside Theron grinned. He looked like a beardless Santa Claus, ruddy face and twinkling eyes. "It is seldom that we see such natural purity. I thank Azar I was allowed to see it, because I haven't met one before."

"It gladdens my heart to see that Nature's dice had fallen so fortuitously in you" the patrician-faced woman sitting on Theron's left spoke. "And yet it worries me, also, for every weight on one side of the balance must be compensated on the other."

Changeling looked at the floor, blushing furiously, then lifted his gaze as he heard and understood the woman's words.

"It is as you say, ma'am. I make no claim to fame. It's not like I worked hard on it. It's just who I am."

"You are modest, child. Yet you have little to be modest about" the ruddy faced man said, chuckling.

"We can see the scars on your soul" the woman took over. "We sense that you went through much loss and heartbreak."

"But they are only scars, not festering sores" Theron said. "You dealt with your loss as few could. There is no bitterness, no resentment in you."

"I… I can still feel –"

"Sadness? Of course!" Theron cut him off gently. "It would be wrong if you didn't mourn your loss. I might add that you shouldn't blame yourself for it, but I wouldn't be the first one to tell you that, I'd wager" he concluded, gazing intently at Changeling.

Garfield smiled ruefully. "I wish it was that easy. I know I couldn't do anything, as much as I wanted to. My friends also told me so. But I just can't seem to reason the feeling away."

"That is both our blessing and our curse, child" the woman said. "You cannot get away from it. But you can – and you did – draw strength from it, allow it to mold you into what you are now, make it help you see the world in different hues."

"When such things happen, some may get angry" Theron said, casting a quick glance at Cyborg. "Others may get afraid" he continued, his gaze touching Nightwing. "But you have decided to seek the good, the happy, the joyful things that life has to offer and use them to balance the pain and sadness. It is… remarkable."

 _Which is why he clung so desperately to his childishness,_ Raven realized in a flash. _Which is why he was so terrified of growing up._

Her eyes burned. _I wish I understood it before. I wish I didn't treat him like I did._

With an effort, she calmed herself. _No. We agreed that we will leave that behind us. I will not torture myself with what has been. He wouldn't like it. I will enjoy what we have, and I will not allow our past to poison our future. I owe it to him._

She returned her attention to the exchange.

"There is one final thing I wish to ask, young changeling" Theron said, smiling. "We would be honored to have you living here, with us. We offer you a place among us, together with your bride. Would this be agreeable?"

Garfield sighed deeply. "I hoped you wouldn't ask that. I like it here, I really do" he said, straightening and meeting Theron's gaze. "This place makes me feel… accepted. Such as I never felt back on Earth. It is peaceful and full of love."

"But?" Theron asked, his eyes amused.

Garfield glanced at Raven, then at Starfire. "It is not home. It could never be."

He looked back at Theron. "You don't believe in violence. That's fine, it's your choice. But even if you may not like it, you owe your existence to it. When Raven defeated her… when she defeated Trigon, she did not use kind words. When we fought his hordes, we did not do it with flowers and meekness. Your ideals may be fine, but that's the only thing they are. Ideals. Utopia. You want peace and goodness? Then you damn better be ready to fight for it, because there will always be someone that will try to deny it to you."

"There are ways of fighting that do not include violence."

"There may be, Theron. But I don't see you indulging in them." Garfield knew he was crossing the line, but he was getting worked up and he needed to get it out. "The only thing I see is you, isolating yourselves in a separate dimension, protecting yourselves with magical seals, acting like children that stop their ears and close their eyes and shout 'I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know'. You are selfish, Theron. You have turned your backs to a world that needs you. You have denied all of us the blessings that you have."

"And yet we have rescued Arella – and through that Raven, your bride – by our direct intervention."

If Garfield was angry, now he got furious. "Most of you were against it! If it wasn't for Coman and Azar, you would've…" his voice faltered. He looked at the floor, clenching his fists.

"That was Juris, Garfield."

He looked up at Theron. "Juris and how many others? At least he had the courage to try and do what he felt was right! The rest of you cowards just hid your heads in the sand! You say I'm free of evil, Theron. I don't know. Maybe I am. But I know you are not. And there is the proof!" he said viciously, his arm sweeping back to point at Raven.

"What you did to her… God help me, it may have been done in the belief you were doing something good. But there is an old saying, that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. You have perverted the good in you, Theron! By trying to destroy her soul, by trying to control and subdue her, by denying her the love of her mother! You were so worried about saving yourselves that you trampled everything you believed in by doing it!"

There was a deafening silence, punctuated only by Garfield's heavy breathing. But Theron's smile only grew wider.

"Would you have done differently, Garfield? Knowing that millions – billions of lives were at stake?"

" _YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT!"_ he shouted. "The only reason we are standing here discussing this is because _she defied the Prophecy and she overcame it!_ And it was not thanks to your help, but thanks to her own caring, selfless soul!"

"And a little help from her friends" Theron added, his smile radiant.

Changeling did not know what to answer. His mouth worked, but his mind was a blank. Theron stood, approached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Do not underestimate your role in it, or that of your other friends" he said, his gaze sweeping over the silent Titans, to return to Changeling and look into his eyes. "Thank you for your words, Garfield."

"You are not… angry at me?"

"Of course not!" Theron chuckled, then his face became serious. He looked a Raven. "It is what Azar wanted, but never had time to tell us. You remember it, Raven, don't you?"

"The bird?" she asked.

"Yes. When you healed the bird, I started understanding. First came the questions – Why did Azar allow it? Why didn't she prevent you from taking the bird's pain into yourself, knowing that every little drop of agony brought you ever so closer to Trigon? Why did she never forbid you to heal anyone? Then I began realizing that it was to teach you compassion. To turn Trigon's curse back on him. To use your empathy so it would mold you into what you are now, and not into what Trigon wanted and expected."

He looked back at his two silent companions. "And she had someone else that she wanted to teach. Us. All of us."

He looked back at Garfield. "What you have said is painful, but truth usually is. By isolating the Good, we have strengthened the Evil. We must now work to undo that."

He removed his hand from Garfield's shoulder and strode towards Starfire. "We have felt your discomfort, Princess Koriand'r. Do not be angry at us, for we are learning from our mistakes. We will try to help, not with violence, for it is not – it shall never be our way. But with hope, and courage, and healing."

Starfire's eyes glowed. "One of the first lessons that the Warlords of Okaara imparted was that a warrior never fights alone. He needs the blacksmith to forge the weapons, the peasant to make the food, the holy man to give him the purpose and the direction." She smiled, the glow in her eyes an emerald blaze. "I am filled with the joy to know that I can count on the blessings that you have. It is more than enough for me. It gives me the peace of the mind, and the resolve to continue on my path."

Theron returned her smile, then turned and lifted his arms.

"What does the High Council of Azarath have to say to this? Can it be any other way?"

There was no audible answer.

"Good then. It has been settled. Now we can start preparing tomorrow's ceremony!"

* * *

"Gar, what you said…" Raven spoke as they walked to Arella's house. "That's what you and Kori were hiding from me, isn't it?"

"We were not hiding anything, Rae" he said, unusually serious. "We were concerned that you might misunderstand it, consider it an insult to the place of your birth. I felt Star's emotions through you, and I understood immediately what she was going through. Probably because my own thoughts were going that way already."

"I see. You needn't have worried. My memories of this place are not entirely… pleasant."

"I know. That's why I had to speak up. But still…"

They walked in silence for a while.

"I still don't understand a few things" Garfield said suddenly, addressing Arella.

"Then please ask" she smiled at him.

"Raven said she was the only empath in Azarath. Theron said it was a gift – a curse of Trigon. And yet I see everyone here is an empath."

"It was Theron's doing" Arella replied. "He realized what Azar was trying to accomplish and understood how we needed the empathy so that we, too, could learn compassion. Something that has been, if not forgotten, then neglected here. So we used our power, our magic to infuse all with it. Being aware of your neighbor's feelings does wonders for your altruism."

"I see" Changeling said, still subdued.

"You have more doubts" Raven said, stating a fact, squeezing his hand.

"Theron… he used me, didn't he?"

Arella sighed. "He did. He tried to move the rest of the Council unsuccessfully for years. Then you came, and he pounced on the chance that you represented." Arella looked at him, a smile appearing on her face. "And before you ask, no, I wasn't in on it. I genuinely only wanted for the Council to meet you. It was only seeing Theron guide your conversation in order to get you angry that I understood what he was doing."

Changeling frowned. "I don't like being manipulated, even if it's –"

He felt Raven's mirth pouring into him through their bond. He looked at her, realized what she was implying and blushed.

"I guess it's for a good cause" he grumbled, sending a small flash of annoyance at Raven. Her face remained impassive, but she squeezed his hand again, trying hard not to giggle.

* * *

Raven and Garfield had to shoo away an insistent Starfire that showed up in their room early in the morning, loaded with makeup, brushes, combs and other beautifying implements, some of which looked positively sinister. She was, of course, intending to "do the preparing of friend Raven's appearance". She was somewhat hurt at their rejection, not faking it this time, but Raven's promise that she could escort her to the altar quickly replaced her sadness with an explosion of joy.

Jinx arrived early, carrying Sarah, Leonid and, of course, Wally. The guest list was complete. The ceremony could begin.

It was short but intense. There were no flowery speeches or overly long rites. Even the dress code was relaxed, the Titans in their uniforms – freshly cleaned and ironed, to be sure – and the Azarathians in their trademark cloaks. Raven was the only one that looked different, simply because her leotard and her cloak were an almost glowing white.

Cyborg escorted Changeling while Starfire floated beside Raven. As they both flitted closer, Raven had to whisper a quick "Kori, please!" to try and get her to control herself a bit more, feeling almost blinded by the emotions blazing out of the Tamaranian. She chuckled, noticing some of the Azarathians sway as they stood, their hands going to their heads, overwhelmed by it.

Raven recognized the ruddy-faced man waiting for them. He gave them both a sunny smile and a nod.

"I always enjoy performing these ceremonies. But today is special, and I must say I was prepared to pull rank in order to get to lead it. Thankfully, everyone agreed I was the best choice!" he said, his smile widening. "Are you two ready? The sooner we start, the sooner you can get onto the more important parts!"

They both blushed slightly, eliciting a knowing smile from the ruddy-faced man. His eyes sparkled as he felt their mingled emotions.

"It is really a pleasure for me to unite you, not only because of what you did for us, but also because I can feel the depth of your affection." He spoke to them only, his voice soft, his eyes merry. This ceremony was for _them_ , not for the guests.

"I never recite the contents of the vow. Learning it by rote and spewing it out like a schoolboy trying to impress a teacher robs it of its inner meaning. And you know very well what that meaning is. As long as your hearts beat, as long as you breathe, you will do it for each other. Your lives will be bound together by the promise. You will bring light to each other where it's dark, and you will share the joy with each other when times are good. You will be the bulwark that protects, the cold stream that quenches the thirst, the pillar on which the other one can lean on."

He paused for a few moments. "I could go on and on with the metaphors, but it is not necessary. You already are all of this, and more. Do you promise your love to Garfield for as long as you live, Raven?"

"I do."

"Do you promise your love to Raven for as long as you draw breath, Garfield?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Now the symbolic part."

Garfield was glad he didn't allow himself to get confused. He took Raven's hand and slid the ring on her finger. She did the same. Their hands shook slightly.

"Perfect! Now the fun part!"

Garfield forced himself not to grin. _Fun part, indeed!_ He lowered Raven's hood, embraced and kissed her.

"Your bodies are now bound by the rings, your minds by the promise, your souls by your love. Go and share your joy with your friends, and your love with each other!"

* * *

"We don't have to do it if you don't feel relaxed" he told her, gently touching her cheek as she huddled in his arms.

"Why wouldn't I be relaxed?"

He grinned at her. "For someone that likes it so much, you are still intensely shy about it. I felt it. You open up fully only when we're in your room, in familiar surroundings."

She frowned at him. "Not true. We made love on the couch, on top of Titans East's Tower, in this very room –"

"Which doesn't mean you were relaxed" he cut her off gently. "I told you, I've noticed it."

She hid her face in his shoulder. "All right, so it's true. It's… personal. I don't…" She looked up at him. "In my room, you're _mine!_ " she said fiercely. "Outside of it, I share you with the world. In my room, you are only mine."

"I am always yours, love."

"Don't try to reason it, Gar. It's not a logical thing. Don't you think I went over it myself?"

"If you want, we can wait –"

"I've never denied you my loving, Garfield!" she said, slightly annoyed. "I'm certainly not going to start today! Besides…"

"Besides?"

"You could always _make me_ relax, hmmm?" she purred and kissed him, then bit his lower lip gently, reveling in the shiver it sent both through him and through her.

"I guess I could try" he said playfully, starting on the pleasurable task she gave him.

Their passion grew as he felt that he was approaching his goal, when a shriek rent the very air around them, coming from a few doors away. Their heads shot up, startled, just as a volcanic eruption of joy and love crashed into them, overflowing from Raven's empathic sense and into Garfield, leaving both dazed and breathing heavily.

"I see Richard made up his mind finally!" Changeling said wryly.

Raven smiled happily. "Good for him. And good for Kori!"

He looked down at her. "They'll be busy for a couple of hours. How about getting back to what we were doing?"

"That's not such a bad idea" she said, a wicked smile on her lips. "But I'm afraid you'll have to start all over again!"

He gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I did promise to sacrifice myself in the name of love…"

"Less talking, more doing!"


	14. Control

**Author's Note:**

A spur-of-the-moment story. Got the idea this morning, wrote it during the day, sanded off the rough edges and polished it a bit and here it is.

* * *

 **Control**

They circled each other warily. He feinted at her and felt her tense, then struck from the opposite side. She sensed his intent and twisted away, her arm scything towards his neck as his failed strike overbalanced him slightly. But her cloak tangled and slowed her down, and he was able to duck and pull back, falling into a defensive stance.

She frowned, and with a quick movement discarded the cloak, letting it fall behind her in a heap. His eyes swept over her, his face splitting in a grin.

"Nice legs!" he chortled.

"Here, have a better look!" she growled as she directed a kick at his head. Again he ducked under the blow, letting himself drop to the floor while his left leg swept out, undercutting her. She twisted in the air, arching her back and reaching out over her head to touch the floor with her hands and absorb the impact with her arms, then pushing herself into a somersault and striking out with her right leg. The foot whistled less than an inch from his nose as he hastily pulled back.

His grin widened. "Sneaky!"

"There's more where that came from," she smirked.

His grin disappeared as he concentrated on finding a way to defeat her. He had the advantage of weight and reach, but she was slightly faster. If he could get closer, maybe get her into a grappling hold, his superior strength would resolve the issue.

Again he feinted left and then struck right as she tensed to receive the fake attack. Again she sensed his intent and twisted, but this time he did not make the effort to compensate for the loss of balance. As she whirled and her fist arced towards his head, he pushed himself forward and jumped, crashing into her and carrying them both down. He fell on top of her and the breath exploded from her lungs as his weight slammed her to the floor, leaving her dazed for a split second. His hands seized her wrists and immobilized them. She squirmed, trying to release her hands, but his grip was like iron. She tried to knee him between the legs but he shifted quickly to avoid it.

"You don't really wanna do that, do you?" he smirked, pinning her wrists over her head. He couldn't resist taking a long, careful look at her, enjoying the sight of sweat running down her face and neck. His gaze roamed approvingly over her body, the leotard tight over all her delightful curves, the sweat stains on it suddenly awakening his desire. He felt her move and pushed those thoughts from his mind. He lowered his head for leverage and tried to force her wrists together, seeking to hold them with one hand and free the other for the finishing blow.

As his face got closer to hers his jaw clenched with the effort. Both were breathing heavily with the exertion; he had her wrists almost crossed and was struggling to pin them in his right hand. It was like fighting a coiled steel spring. For all her small size and delicious body, there were muscles under that flawless, pale skin, and they were supple and strong as steel cables. He grunted with the effort and heaved. His head dropped lower and his lips touched her cheek.

She turned her head and her lips went over his. He felt her tongue probing and he let it in as he unconsciously relaxed his grip and responded to her kiss, all other considerations immediately and completely wiped from his mind.

He started to lose himself in their passion, when an almost drowned part of his rational self screamed danger at him. But he was too slow to react; suddenly he found himself pushed away and to the side, rolling over as she straddled him, the palm of her hand streaking down in a quick, vicious arc towards his throat, stopping as it touched his skin.

"Score for the good guys!" she smirked at him.

"That wasn't _fair!_ " he shouted angrily.

"All's fair in love and war, Gar!"

He glared at her. "You mean you'll be _kissing_ everyone you fight?"

"Only if they're handsome," she spoke teasingly as she lowered her head and hovered her lips just above his, taunting him.

She felt his lips touch hers and his hands move over her body. She let out a small, involuntary sigh and closed her eyes for an instant, not able to resist the feeling of pure ecstasy it brought her. By the time she sensed his real intentions and her muscles tensed in a defensive reaction she was already being twisted and pushed over to the side to fall on her back, his body covering her again and his face grinning.

"Let's call it a draw, shall we?"

"That wasn't very original, Gar!"

"It gets the job done," he said, his grin widening. "Can I kiss you now or shall we keep switching who's on top?"

An impish smile spread over her face. She placed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Why, do you have a problem with me being on top?"

His eyes glinted and his mouth opened to reply, but she covered it with hers, not letting him speak. After a minute, their lips parted.

"I should shower," she almost whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm sweaty and stinky."

"I like you this way." His voice was husky and his eyes darker than usual.

Her brow creased in a small frown and she placed a finger on his lips. "No. Victor will probably walk in on us and start wrangling about the purity of his training room. Besides, you could use a shower, too."

Reluctantly he rose and offered her his hand, helping her up. He placed his arm around her waist and she embraced him back as they walked out of the training room.

He cast a sly glance at her. "Maybe you need someone to scrub your back?"

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Not really."

Just as she expected, a flash of disappointment lanced quickly through him. She allowed herself a small, crooked smile and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You can scrub my back once you finish with your _other_ duties."

He laughed. "Tease!" he said and kissed her.

* * *

"You think you'll stop me by throwing _confetti_ at me, alien girl?" Adonis sneered as he contemptuously brushed away the ton-and-a-half piece of machinery that Starfire had ripped out of its mountings to throw at him. He scooped up a forklift and tossed it at her. She avoided it easily, but it crashed behind her against the factory's concrete wall and its fuel tank ignited, fireballing and exploding. The concussion threw the Tamaranian almost into Adonis' arms. His mouth expanded into a bloodthirsty grin as he saw his chance. He struck the still-dazed Starfire with all his might, the force of the impact smashing her body through the wall and into the adjoining hall. Any human would have been turned into red paste by the blow, but Starfire was barely bruised. She freed herself of the debris that had fallen on top of her and prepared to return to the battle, a vicious green glow in her eyes.

A titanium-alloy bo staff struck Adonis on the helmet, bounced back and struck again, his head thrown sideways with every strike. He staggered back from the force of the blows, then suddenly lifted his hand and caught the staff, pulling and swinging it up at the same time with irresistible force. A surprised Nightwing forgot to let go and found himself flying up until he slammed into the ceiling before falling twenty feet back down, barely conscious. Starfire streaked after him in an orange-red blur, catching him before he could crash on the floor, carrying him a safe distance away and placing him gently down.

"Are you undamaged, dearest?" she inquired with concern. He nodded, still dazed. "Thanks, Kori. Just bruised."

"That makes the two of us, then!" Starfire smirked. He returned her smile, then his eyes were pulled to the battle unfolding close by.

A green triceratops slammed into Adonis, smashing him into the wall, leaving a gaping hole in it. The power-armor-clad villain jumped up, flailing his fists, but the huge dinosaur was by now a dragonfly that zoomed behind him to transform into a mule and deliver a powerful kick to the armored backside. Adonis reeled forward, straight into Cyborg's fist that smashed on top of his head. He fell down so hard he bounced.

"You think that hurts?" Adonis shouted furiously, lifting himself on one knee. "I'll show you _hurt!_ "

He slammed his fist on the floor, cracking it and creating a literal wave of concrete that sped outwards, sweeping Cyborg off his feet. Changeling morphed into a pigeon and avoided the localized earthquake, but Adonis clapped his hands hard and the gust of wind blew the morpher several feet back where he landed, transforming into himself and shaking his head to clear it.

 _Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!_ The same piece of machinery that Starfire used before was now enveloped in black mist, flying to strike the armored villain and throw him down on the floor. Raven floated closer, her eyes glowing white, tendrils of black power emanating from her and wrapping themselves around Adonis. He glared at her, an evil grin forming on his face.

"My, if it's not the feisty one! You don't need to run after me, little birdie!" he snickered, gathering his strength. "I'm coming after _you!_ "

Still on the floor, he tore apart Raven's imprisoning tentacles with a powerful heave, reaching out with his hand to seize hold of her ankle and pull her down, smashing her on the concrete beside him. Exploiting her sudden daze, he rolled on top of her and pressed her shoulders to the floor. The fingers in the powered gloves dug deeply into her flesh.

A snarl came from Changeling's throat as his pupils contracted. He sensed Cyborg's restraining hand on his shoulder. He glared at his friend, growling unintelligibly.

Cyborg's face was grim. "Don't worry about Rae, Greenbean. Find a box – several boxes – where we can put Adonis' remains."

Changeling returned his attention to the clash between his girlfriend and his hated enemy.

Raven fought off the dizziness. She felt Adonis' weight crush her, saw the leer on his face, sensed the waves of greedy desire burst from him like stench from a rotting corpse. His head bent down, getting nearer. The lust flowing from him made her stomach turn and her bile rise.

"I think I'll have me some fun with you," he cackled.

Time slowed to a crawl.

Raven's magic boiled out, then curled back and infused her as a cruel smile appeared on her face.

 _No. I want to enjoy this._

There was one weak spot on Adonis' power armor. His face was unshielded from the front. She head-butted him, her forehead smashing into his nose. He cried in pain and pulled back, his hands releasing her and going to his face. She squirmed out from under him and sprang up, falling into combat stance.

He also rose, his face as red as his armor, screaming obscenities at her. She ignored the words. He lunged at her.

She spun to avoid the powerful but clumsy strike, extending her own arm in a surprisingly potent jab to Adonis' left cheekbone. His head jerked back and his eyes filled with pain and surprise for a moment. But she didn't give him the time to ponder it. Her left arm was already streaking in to smash the fist into his mouth. He stumbled back and his eyes glazed over, blood trickling from crushed lips and nose. Raven followed, falling into an almost training-room rhythm. Her fists pumped into his face and retreated back, twisting her body to add all of her slight mass to her strikes. His nose bone crunched. The skin above the eye split. Teeth flew out, their broken, jagged edges cutting open the lips. She struck him again and again, coldly and methodically, only the red glow in her eyes and the rictus-like snarl on her face revealing the depth of the fury beneath.

Adonis swayed. The only thing that kept him from crashing down to the floor on his face were her rhythmical blows, coming in one after the other, mercilessly, almost mechanically. His arms hung by his sides uselessly, not able to defend any more. His knees buckled. Her right arm bent back, preparing the final strike.

 _Heel of the hand to just below the nose. Upward angle. Smash the bone and cartilage. Drive the splinters into his frontal cortex. He'll be dead before he hits the ground_.

 _Right foot back. Both feet planted firmly. Strike direct. Follow with your body to give power to the punch_.

She bared her teeth. Her entire body trembled as she stood poised to deliver the finishing blow. Everything in her screamed to release it, to let it out, to erase the ugly creature teetering on uncertain legs in front of her, to do the world a favor and rid it of this loathsome excuse for a human being.

She relaxed slowly. _I will not. He's not worth it._

She lowered her arms and straightened up. Adonis toppled like a chopped tree, his armor clanging on the concrete and blood dripping from his ruined face.

Changeling's arms went around her. She leaned into him, her knees weakening as the adrenaline dissipated in her body. She started shaking with the aftereffects.

He kissed her gently. "That was _awesome_ , Rae!" he whispered, bursting with pride.

She allowed herself a few seconds to enjoy his love and admiration, then winced at the pain from her torn knuckles as it filtered slowly to her consciousness. He noticed it and frowned.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, her well-being his most important concern, as always. She smiled as she sensed it.

"I'm fine, Gar. I'll fix it… later."

"Why didn't you use your magic? Not that I didn't enjoy the show!" he grinned at her.

She frowned. "I wasn't going to sully my soul-self with the likes of that piece of filth!" she growled. "And I didn't need it. He's a wimp, for all his power armor. And there's one more thing," she concluded with a scowl.

"Which one?"

"I _wanted_ to beat him up. I wanted my knuckles to _hurt_ as I broke his nose, as I smashed his teeth, as I tore his face open!" she hissed, her eyes tinting slightly red again. "I wanted to _feel_ it."

She suddenly realized what she was saying and a sense of shame swept over her. She blushed and tried to shy away, afraid that he would reject her, that he would be disgusted with her because she allowed herself such feelings, because she lost control, because –

He gripped her tight, not letting her go, covering her with kisses and whispering soothingly. "I know, Rae. I know. Don't worry. It's fine. I know how you felt. I feel the same all the time. We're not so different. It's OK. I understand."

She slowly relaxed and returned his embrace, then sighed. "I just… hate it when I lose control," she said softly, still ashamed.

He pulled back so he could look at her. A playful spark glimmered in his eyes and his soul. "Not always, love."

She chuckled and lowered her head to rest it on his shoulder, letting herself drown in the tide of his love.

"Not always," she agreed with a whisper.


	15. Awareness

**Awareness**

"I find it hard to believe that friend Changeling would behave in such the manner!" Starfire said, upset, as she floated back and forth across her room, where the three girls were discussing Raven's predicament.

"He's a _guy_ " Jinx said, as if the single word was explanation enough. "They are weird like that sometimes. Just when you think you finally understand them, they come at you with another surprise. And Garfield's behavior was to be expected."

" _Expected?_ " Raven growled. "What do you mean, expected?"

"I mean, he's behaving just like a normal male human of his age is supposed to behave!" Jinx noticed Raven's eyes begin to glow red as she spoke. "Getting angry at him will not help, Rae!"

Jinx walked over to Raven and embraced her. "I know you're thinking of sending him into a Pit of Hell, with or without tearing him to pieces first" Jinx smirked at her. "But you must realize that's the way they are. If I got so angry at Wally every time he flirted with another girl –"

"He'd _better_ not be!" Raven hissed, her eyes now blazing with hellfire, two fiery red slits flashing above her eyebrows, quickly extinguishing. She took a deep breath, calming herself, then smiled wryly. "At least I know I can trust him about that. He's not interested in other girls."

"I understand your distress, friend Raven, but I also share the thoughts of friend Jinx" Starfire said. "I do not wish you to have the anger for friend Changeling. We all know he has the deepest love and affection for you. Maybe you are doing the expecting of the too much from him, yes?"

Raven's jaw set, her mouth pressing into a thin line. "Then I will have to teach him the error of his ways" she spoke softly but with deadly menace. Her eyes flashed red again. "I know what to do. And the two of you will keep quiet about it, even if he comes to you with questions!"

Jinx snickered. "You didn't have to add that last part. I'm going to enjoy this!"

Starfire just nodded, a green glow in her eyes, an unusually malicious smile on her face.

* * *

"I dunno what's _wrong_ , Chrome Dome! She's… Outwardly she's fine, affectionate, warm, but I can feel the anger under it. She's mad at me, and I have no idea _why_."

Cyborg sighed and squeezed Changeling's shoulder in sympathy. "Girls are weird like that. You must've done something to tick her off."

"I realize that, Pail-Head! I need to know _what_ , so I can ask her to forgive me!" Changeling almost snarled, then shook his head, his voice lowered almost to a whisper, pain filling it. "I feel I'm hurting her, and it's tearing me apart!"

"You didn't forget your anniversary, did you?" Cyborg asked, frowning. "That could tick her off royally!"

"No. I remembered the anniversary of when we started going out, and we haven't been married long enough for the wedding anniversary."

"We celebrated her birthday, so it's not that either" Cyborg mused. "It was a bit subdued for my taste, but that's how she wanted it. How about Valentine's day?"

"We went out, I gave her a nice present, she had a wonderful time" Changeling shook his head.

Cyborg suddenly scowled. "You haven't been ogling other girls, Evergreen, have you?"

Changeling smiled wanly, then turned serious. "I wish it was only that. I'd know." He looked up at Cyborg. "Vic, she's… I don't look at other girls. I don't have any need to do it. I'm simply not interested."

"And what about… you know, _that?_ "

Garfield sighed, another small smile appearing on his lips. "If anything, it's better than ever. She's… We're both getting much more relaxed about it, we're trying out a few new things, you know how it goes."

"New things? And you've been keepin' me in the dark, Greenbean? I am _so_ disappointed in you!"

"You will _stay_ in the dark, Chrome Dome! It's none of your goddamn business!"

"Whoa, cool down, lil' buddy! I was just teasin' ya!"

Another sigh came from Garfield. "Sorry, Rust Brain. I'm too tense about this whole business." He looked up sharply at Cyborg. "And you know damn well I don't talk about such things. Not even with you."

"Well, at least that's one possibility less. She might've been mad at you for shooting off your mouth."

Changeling stared at the floor, not answering. Cyborg's face lit up, another thought coming to him.

"How about a new perfume you haven't noticed?"

"I wouldn't miss that if I was in the middle of the boss fight in _Mega Monkey 4_ , Bolt Bucket!"

"A new dress, maybe?" Cyborg frowned, realizing that was a stupid thought. Any new dress on Raven would be as conspicuous as a lighthouse beam shining in one's face.

"Nah. But maybe…"

"A new cloak?"

"How am I supposed to see it? They're all similar, all the same color! Unless she expects me to tell the difference between indigo, midnight blue and Navy!"

Cyborg gave a small, surprised start. "They're different?"

"I guess so" Changeling said, resigned to his misery.

Cyborg scratched his chin, deep in thought. His face lit up again, another idea striking him.

"I know what to do, Grass Stain" he said enthusiastically. "If we guys can't figure out what's wrong, it's time to look for answers elsewhere!"

"The girls!" Changeling exclaimed happily, understanding. "You're a genius, Chrome Dome!"

Clapping his friend on the back, he was off and through the door, running to Starfire's room. Cyborg looked after him, chuckling.

* * *

"Hey, Star. Can I come in?"

"Friend Changeling! I seldom have the pleasure of the visits from you! Please enter!"

"Thanks, Star. I wanted to… ask for your help."

"In what manner may I be of the assistance, friend Changeling?" Starfire said, already knowing what it was all about, a green glow appearing in her eyes.

"It's… Rae is angry at me for some reason, but I can't understand why. I wanted to ask for your help, see if you could point me in the right direction."

Starfire felt torn between opposing emotions. On one hand, she felt a rush of compassion towards an obviously hurt Changeling and wished with all her joyful heart to help him heal the rift that was opening between him and Raven. But she also knew that Raven was right; Garfield needed to find it out for himself. And besides, like all females, she had very little patience with the seeming lack of common sense that boys exhibited so often.

"I wish I could be of the helpfulness, friend Changeling. But it is not my place to do the interfering in the matters which are personal to the two of you."

Garfield looked at her sharply. "You mean you _know?_ "

"Of course I do. It is but the obvious. I am feeling the amazement that you haven't done the realizing yourself yet."

"Kori, if you know, why don't you –"

"Because you need to do it by yourself. Because I cannot be the crutch on which you will do the leaning on. Because if you want a harmonious, long lasting relationship with friend Raven, you have the need of realizing it yourself and making the amends."

Changeling frowned at her. He wished he could be angry with Starfire, but her words touched a sore spot. It was his doing, and he needed to find the answer himself.

"I… understand, Kori. Is there anything you can tell me, like a clue, or a hint?"

"I can tell you this, friend Changeling. It is something that is obvious. This is why friend Raven has so much of the hurt and the anger for you."

"Could it be a new cloak? I really can't tell the difference between Navy and indigo, you know!"

Starfire frowned. "But the difference is enormous, friend Changeling!" she exclaimed. "The color indigo is…" she cut herself off, realizing she had wandered off into irrelevant territory. "No, it is not the new cloak. You have the knowledge of friend Raven as well as I do. She does not usually have much of the concern about her attire."

"Then _what?_ " Changeling growled, frustrated. "I'm sorry, Star, it's just…"

"I have told you much more than I should already" Starfire said. "I'm sorry, but I cannot be of any more of the help to you."

He sighed deeply. "No matter. Thank you for what you've told me, Starfire. I'll think on it and try to find my answers."

Starfire floated closer and embraced him fiercely, his ribs creaking in protest at the punishment. "I know you shall, friend Changeling" she said softly. He smiled at her, nodded and left her room.

* * *

"Jinx?" he asked as he entered her room.

"Hey, bunny! What brings you here? Don't tell me Rae is keeping you at arm's length!"

"I wish you'd stop calling me 'bunny'!"

Jinx's smirk widened. "D'you prefer 'stud'?"

"Jinx!"

She laughed at his obvious discomfort. "Hey, I just wish I had Rae's luck! You two don't do quickies, do you? Unless you consider one hour a quickie!"

"What are you talking about, Jinx?" he asked, flustered and confused.

"Oh, come on, Gar! Do you really think we haven't noticed you two locking yourselves in the training room's shower for more than an hour every time after you spar? Any normal couple would need ten, fifteen minutes, but the two of you… Thank God the Tower has geothermal-powered desalination and water-heating, otherwise you'd use up all the hot water!"

"I didn't come here to discuss our… to discuss that" Changeling grumbled at her, his face dark green.

"Oh? And what did you want to discuss? Maybe you wanted some pointers or suggestions?"

"Jinx…"

"I know my name. You don't have to repeat it to me" she said, her smirk expanding into a lopsided grin.

"I wanted to ask you –"

"You wanted to ask why is it that Rae's pissed off at you? You men can really be blind to things that are staring you in the face!"

Changeling frowned. "Look, if you know what it is –"

"Oh, no, little bunny. You won't get off the hook that easy. But maybe we can… help each other. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

He scowled at her. "I hope it wasn't a mistake to come here. What do you mean?"

Jinx's grin expanded. "Call it a business deal. A proposition. Information for information. I'll tell you… No. I'll give you a good hint about what's pissing Rae off, once you tell me some secrets."

"Secrets?" Garfield asked, startled.

Jinx giggled. "Yes, secrets." Her face suddenly became serious. "She says sex with you is good. But the only sounds I can hear from you two are your snarls. At least I know you're having a good time, but I'm concerned about her."

A growl came from Changeling's throat as he tried hard to push his rage down. Jinx watched him, unconcerned. He took several deep breaths, calming down.

"I'm not going to speak about that" he said curtly, giving her a cold stare. "I don't appreciate your –"

"Grow up, Garfield, willya?" she shouted at him suddenly, surprising him. "Do you think I'm asking because I'm a pervert? Because I have a ghoulish interest in your love life?"

"I…" he floundered, cowed by Jinx's intensity. But she wasn't finished with him.

"She's my best friend! And you better get your act together, mister, because I'll take over beating up whatever's left of you once _she's_ done with you!"

Jinx's pink, catlike eyes were glowing, small pink sparks coursing over her body and fizzling out as they reached the tops of her horn-like hairdo. Slightly ashamed for his previous attitude, Garfield took yet another deep breath and spoke.

"Look, it's not easy to… talk about it. Let's just say that she has other ways to express her… to express herself."

"Such as?"

He looked at her defiantly. "I'm not going to tell you" he said softly. He was suddenly aware of the numerous gashes left by Raven's scouring nails on his shoulders, his back, his arms, his chest, his hips. He loved the feeling, never letting Raven heal them completely. He reveled in sensing those wounds stretching as he moved, the slight pain always reminding him of when and how they were inflicted.

"I will tell you that it _is_ good for her. Believe me, if it wasn't, we wouldn't be doing it. It is much more important to me than…"

"I know. I just needed to hear it from you" Jinx said, surprising him again. The smirk returned to her face.

His face broke into a grin. "If that is so, then you should keep to your part of the bargain!"

"It's something she's been doing for you. For a long time. Something obvious. And you never noticed it."

"For me? But…"

"As I said, blind as bats. Now get out of here, that's all you'll get from me. If she ever figures out I've told you even this much, I'll find myself enjoying the wonderful weather in the Seventh Pit of Hell."

Garfield nodded his understanding, rose and left.

* * *

"Mint and sage" he said as he poured the tea for her. "You want honey or sugar?"

"Both" she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips seeking his. "Thank you."

He allowed himself a minute of bliss as he kissed her. As they parted, he looked deep into her eyes.

"Rae…"

"Hmmm?"

"Look, I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"For whatever it is" he said lamely. "I just… I can't figure out why you're angry at me."

"I still love you, you know."

"I do. And I love you, too. It' just that I… I wish I knew what it was. I don't want to hurt you."

She sighed. "I know, Gar. And I know my insistence on it is hurting you, and it's hurting me also because of it. But you must find what it is. Once you do, it will be clear to you."

"I talked it over with Cy. I spoke to Kori. I even went to see Jinx!"

Raven chuckled. "Let me guess. She started asking you about our love life right away, didn't she?"

He blushed and grinned. "How did you know?"

"She's quite predictable that way" she sighed, then looked up sharply at him. "You didn't shoot off your mouth, did you?"

He smiled. "Of course not. What I told her, she already knew."

"I suppose she didn't believe me and wanted to hear it from you, also" Raven said, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly. I see what you mean when you say she's predictable." He looked at her. "Rae?"

"Yes?"

"I'll find out. Whatever it is, I'll figure it out."

She kissed him lightly. "I know you will, Gar."

They relaxed, silent, enjoying the tea and the nearness.

* * *

 _I'm glad she's taking it so well. She still loves me, and that's what's important. And she trusts me. I cannot fail her._

He relaxed back on the lower bunk in his room, his hands behind his head. He decided he would give it a rest with the thinking and try to clear his mind so that he could start fresh, maybe find a new angle. His gaze fell on the guitar she gifted him.

 _No, I don't feel like strumming. Maybe I can… Yeah, that'll be perfect._

He got up and searched for his drawing block and a soft pencil. He sat back on the bunk, found a blank sheet and began working.

Her features started appearing on the paper as he remembered her from this morning, her eyes affectionate, her lips slightly turned up in a tiny, Mona Lisa smile, her brows up a little bit as if surprised at his lack of awareness, her hair falling in a gentle, scented cascade down below her shoulders…

He suddenly stopped, flipped a few pages back, looked at the previous drawings.

 _It is but the obvious,_ Starfire's words echoed in his mind. _It's something she's been doing for you. For a long time,_ Jinx's voice sounded in his ears again.

A desire to smash his head against the wall gripped him as he realized how blind he was. He rose and left his room, looking for her.

* * *

Raven didn't need to be an empath to realize he had finally understood. It was shining in his eyes as he walked into her room. She stretched her legs to the floor, releasing the levitation, and walked to meet him.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently, then his fingers buried themselves in her hair, lifting it, letting it fall down, releasing its scent. His nostrils flared as he took it in with a deep breath, his head spinning.

"It's beautiful, Rae. It really suits you. You should have done it before."

"I didn't have anyone to do it for" she said, blushing slightly, looking down.

"You really did it for me?"

She nodded. "I wasn't even aware of it. I just… felt the need."

"I'm sorry for being so blind. But the change was so slow and gradual…"

"I know."

"Will you forgive me?"

She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Hmmmm. Maybe."

"If I try to make it up to you?" he asked, a grin slowly spreading over his face.

She looked at him beneath her lashes. "Oh, yes? And how do you intend to do that?"

"Let me show you" he said, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to her bed.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

One good thing about being married is that one doesn't have to look hard to find ideas about relationships to write about. The above should be a situation that most guys will recognize, especially if they're into it for the long run, like me.

I suppose I had left enough hints for everybody to know what the issue was all about. Yeah, I guess I may have gone overboard with Raven's and Garfield's reactions, but what the hell. I had too much of a good time writing it, and I hope you'll enjoy it just as much.


	16. Fear

**Author's Note:**

This update took a while longer than usual, but I did warn you at the start that the schedule was going to be spotty. A somewhat unusual thing happened to this story. All Hallows' Eve was getting closer and I wanted to make a monster story. You know, _Wicked Scary 4_ or something like that. But the only sorry excuses for a plot I could think of felt so cheesy and unoriginal that I kept staring at the screen for more than a week, not able to make any progress. So I finally scrapped the whole idea. But I still wanted to write about fear. Not about tentacled monsters and axe-wielding madmen, but other kinds of fear.

That said, there are a couple more things I have to mention.

First, it looks like I was just too fuzzy with my hints in the last chapter. There is none to blame but myself; a writer _must_ get his message across, even if he or she wants to tease the reader. Sorry about that. But I still don't want to reveal it completely, so I'll give you another hint: in _Gifts_ , Chapter 5, there is a conversation between Raven and Starfire. Almost at the end of their exchange, Raven asks Starfire about it. It's also a loose end hanging from _Gifts_ that I wanted to tie up.

Second, and returning to the present, this chapter starts with a decidedly lemony taste. Some of you may find that there is a bit too much citrus in it, but this _is_ M-rated fiction after all, and as before I'm staying away from smut. Be it as it may, I do hope that at least it tickles a bit. But it's also fluffy, so I hope that the lemon goes down easier.

* * *

 **Fear**

"Tell me more about them" she said in a crooning voice, as she swung one of her shapely legs over his hip.

He lifted his head, confused, interrupted in the pleasurable task of kissing her collarbone.

"About what?"

She kissed him gently, stole a quick nip to his lower lip, then smiled crookedly.

"My legs. You said they're nice."

He remembered, his face splitting in a grin. "Fishing for a compliment? There's a Raven I haven't seen before!"

Her smile warmed as her eyes watched him affectionately. "It was quite a… pleasant feeling. I don't get complimented often."

He chuckled and touched her cheek gently. "Maybe because few dare to. I remember what happened to Roy when he tried."

Her brow creased slightly. "Roy's compliment was a means to an end. He was hitting on me. Doesn't matter if he really thought it or not."

"And what about me?" he asked, extremely interested in exploring this new facet that his wife was revealing, almost as much as he was in exploring her body.

She closed her eyes to better enjoy the sensation of his lips brushing over her skin. "Mmmmm. You shall be rewarded, fear not."

"I mean, my compliment" he said playfully, as one of his kisses turned into a gentle bite.

She shivered, then smiled, her eyes still closed. "Yours was sincere. You were not looking to… you know."

A mischievous grin spread on his face. "Are you sure I wasn't 'looking to', love?"

She opened her eyes and gazed at him, a mock frown furrowing her brow. "Don't make me regret it" she said dangerously, but he could feel the emptiness of the threat. He chuckled again.

"Actually, it's not the one I was thinking about. It's the one I gave you in the infirmary, quite a while ago. I thought you were going to rip my head off and give it to a team of demons to play volleyball with it."

The violet in her eyes deepened. "Don't joke about that, Gar."

"I'm sorry. It's just that… you were so angry at me, just because I told you that you had beautiful eyes."

"You also made fun of me because I told you to take off your clothes" she said somewhat crossly, pressing the tip of her finger to his nose. "That was a pretty… naughty insinuation, considering we weren't together at that time."

"I know. My stupid mouth has this tendency to get me into really deep trouble."

"You mean, like the kind of trouble you're in right now?"

"Mmmm. Yes. Mmmmm" he purred, delighted to feel the muscles under the skin he was kissing tense and tremble, enjoying the contrast between the smooth softness outside and the supple strength beneath. It took quite a few seconds before her words filtered to a rational part of his mind.

He lifted his head and looked up, wrenching out a small whimper of frustration from her. Her fingers curled in his hair, pressing his head back, demanding that he return to what he was doing.

"Rae…" he said, his voice smothered.

The pressure of her hands slackened and he was able to lift his head again and look into a pair of deep, lovely, violet, exasperated eyes. He grinned apologetically and moved up to be level with her.

"I'm sorry" he said and gave her a quick kiss, just as she started to pout. "But it was then, wasn't it?"

"Yes" she sighed and placed her head on his chest, her arms tightening around him. He could sense the intensity of her feelings soar, her love pouring into him. An undercurrent of fear arose in her, unbidden, clutching at his throat and squeezing it, his breath now hissing softly in and out.

"What is it, Rae?"

Her voice was muffled. "Yes, it was then. It… opened my eyes to the feelings I had. It made me… understand."

He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to overcome the turmoil she was causing in him, the love and the fear he was sensing in her making his chest constrict in pain.

"Rae, you're… Why are you afraid?"

She spoke again. "I just realized… If you hadn't done it… I wouldn't have you. I wouldn't have _this_."

He kissed the top of her head as she burrowed deeper. "Of course you would. Do you really think I would give you up?"

Her shoulders shook slightly. Her voice came out muffled, her face pressed into him.

"Just… hold me. Don't let go. Please."

* * *

He lay on his back gasping, as Raven collapsed on top him, panting. They held each other for a couple of minutes, too busy breathing, not having much time for anything else. Once his gasps dwindled to quick, deep breaths he tried to speak.

"Rae… I'm not letting you go, love. Calm down. Relax. I'll never let you go."

She buried her face in his shoulder again. He took her head gently in his hands and lifted it so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Rae. You can't be so frightened of something that didn't happen."

She hid her face again, silent for a while.

He could feel her power infuse him, healing the wounds she left on him. The gouges were unusually long and deep.

"Maybe it would be better if I… _voiced it_ instead of hurting you." she whispered, biting her lip.

"It's not hurting, Rae. If anything, it's making it even better." He frowned, feeling the pain recede as the gashes closed. "That's enough. You know I like to feel them."

This finally made her look up and brought a small smirk to her lips.

"It's quite adorable how you like to keep those as mementos on you, Gar."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Adorable?"

Her smirk widened. "Would you prefer 'childish'?"

"Says the girl that likes to go around with bite marks all over her!" he said, grinning. He knew he caught her off-guard, for once. She blushed deeply and looked away. He pulled her closer, chuckling, stroking her hair. He spoke, his voice still soft and gentle, but his tone serious.

"Please don't misunderstand what I'm going to say, love, but I don't ever want to repeat this."

"Why not? It was certainly one of the best we ever had."

"Not at that price, Rae. It's not worth it. Nothing's worth it."

"It's just –"

"Ah – ah – ah! None of that, now. I made you a promise, didn't I? 'For as long as I draw breath'? I'm still breathing, from what I can tell."

"And I made a promise to you" she said quietly, letting her head rest on his chest. "For as long as I live."

"Right. So there's nothing to fear. Don't start turning into Richard, now."

She snorted. "Not funny, Garfield! Besides, I'm far from pushing you away. If anything, I want you closer, whatever happens."

"So do I, love."

* * *

"I'm not gonna let you go in there alone!"

"Don't be a fool, Gar! I can protect myself! You need to keep the crowd back and help the paramedics!"

He knew perfectly well that she was right, but the thought of letting her face danger alone was tearing his heart out. He opened his mouth to argue again, but a stern look in her eyes and the feeling of cold resolve suddenly swelling in her silenced him. He nodded, scowling, and watched her as she transformed into a ghostly black bird and flew again into the burning building.

Her empathic sense flew before her, searching for signs of fear and panic that would guide her to any would-be survivors in the roaring inferno. But it didn't mean she could rely solely on it; after all, unconscious people did not radiate any feelings. She had to search every nook and cranny by eye, making sure she didn't overlook someone. She sighed inwardly, remembering how Garfield had been of invaluable help, working with her as a hog and using the animal's incredible sense of smell. They managed to rescue many that way. But it required him to be outside of her protective bubble, exposed to the heat, the smoke and the flaming debris that crashed around them with frightening regularity. As the conflagration worsened and the danger increased it became just too much of a risk.

She caught a flicker of doubled fear from somewhere ahead. She pushed everything from her mind and launched herself towards it. On several occasions she had to take down the black dome around her so that she could phase through walls and mounds of blazing remains clogging the hallways. The acrid smoke seared her lungs; her hair, brows and lashes were singed and her cloak was smoldering. But she reached the mother and child she had sensed, huddled in a corner, coughing and eyes streaming with tears, both from the fear and from the smoke.

"It's OK, calm down, I'll get you out of here!" she tried to reassure the woman clutching at her small son, watching Raven wide-eyed in terror. As Raven's soul-self unfurled over them she whimpered, twisting her body to place it protectively between it and her child. The ghostly bird's wings folded around them and it flew out of the building.

Changeling ran towards her as she alighted, transforming back and releasing the woman and child. One quick scan through their bond was enough for Changeling to heave a sigh of relief. She was unharmed. The three were reeling from smoke inhalation, coughing and gulping lungfuls of clean air.

Raven breathed heavily, delivered the frightened woman and child to a paramedic and readied herself for another go at the burning building. Garfield's hand fell on her shoulder.

"You're not going."

She looked at him, annoyed, shaking off his hand. "Don't be an idiot. You know I have to."

"Not without me, you're not."

"You are staying here. You'd only get in the way, and you know it!"

They glared at each other, neither willing to give in. A firefighter approached.

"Mr. Logan, we need your help here!"

Garfield turned his attention to the man for a second, then felt her magic swirl and vanish. He whipped his head around, only to see a black portal closing. He cursed, his jaw muscles tightening, and followed the fireman that needed his help.

* * *

Two paramedics sedated the panicked woman and placed her together with her child in an ambulance. The younger of the two watched the ambulance drive away with its siren blaring and grumbled.

"That witch really scared her!"

Two powerful hands grabbed him by the front of his uniform, lifted him up and slammed him against the wall of the building. Startled and suddenly afraid, the young paramedic looked into the furious eyes of his older partner, seeing his face twisted in a snarl of rage as he held him against the wall.

"You will _not_ call her that! You will _not_ disrespect her! _Any of them!_ Is that _clear?_ "

"What the hell, man, chill out!"

Other paramedics around stopped what they were doing and looked at them as the older man shouted angrily at the rookie. "I've been working five years with the Titans, asshole! Five years of watching them put their lives in danger day in and day out, for what? So that shits like you can spew out garbage?"

The rookie looked around, aware now of the angry, hostile glares the other paramedics were giving him. He gulped.

"Uh… Sorry, I didn't mean it that way…"

The young man's partner relaxed his grip, letting the rookie slide down until his feet touched the ground.

"Fuck, man, you scared the shit out of me!"

His partner was still glaring at him. "I scared the shit out of you? You're lucky none of the firemen heard you. Most of them owe the Titans their lives, or the lives of their buddies. You shoot your mouth like that in front of them and you can thank God that the ambulances are already here. You call her a witch in front of her husband, there won't be pieces left of you large enough to bury. Understood?"

The rookie wiped the sweat from his brow. "Sorry, man. I guess you're right. I was just –"

"Listen, rookie. I'll give you a final piece of advice" the older paramedic grumbled, calming down. "Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. If you're in this gig to help people, you'll soon figure it out. If not, you better apply for a transfer _now_ , because you'll get in deep shit sooner rather than later. OK?"

The rookie just nodded, his eyes still apprehensive. The older paramedic slapped his face gently a couple of times and spoke.

"Let's go back to work. There's a lot of it left."

* * *

She felt another burst of panic coming from ahead. It was close, but weak, as if the person was rapidly losing consciousness. She hurried, phasing ghost-like through walls and ceilings until she reached the source. A young couple. He was too far gone already; even resuscitation would not work any more. She gritted her teeth and concentrated on the girl, pushing her despair and anguish away.

She released her dome to transform and phase the girl and herself both out of there, but at that moment a chunk of the ceiling caved in and fell on them, almost knocking her unconscious, the smoke filling her lungs, her eyes not able to see anything through the dense, stinging, acrid haze that enveloped them, her ears only hearing the roar of the flames and the ominous creaking of the weakened walls. She groped around, coughing, until she could touch the girl. Her hand closed around the girl's arm. She tried to chant her mantra, but the dense smoke made her choke, suffocating her and filling her lungs with even more smoke. She started losing consciousness. She fought it as hard as she could, but there was no escaping the smoke and the heat, not without letting go of the girl. She couldn't do that. The girl's heartbeat was irregular; she wouldn't last more than a minute more. Panic started overwhelming her.

Changeling straightened up suddenly, transforming into himself, then with a quick "Sorry, man! Emergency!" he turned into a falcon and flew for the upper floors of the building for all he was worth. He arrowed straight into a closed window, morphing into a curled-up armadillo, smashing through the glass, elongating into a thirty-foot long anaconda and slithering towards her as fast as he could.

His concern was quickly turning to fear as he could sense her consciousness wavering and feel the pain from the burns and the blows from the falling debris. Her weakening struggle to breathe caused an icy clamp to squeeze his heart while he moved at a feverish pace through the blazing inferno.

He never questioned himself if his choice of animal was good or not. It was done instinctively, and yet he couldn't have chosen better if he had hours to think about it. The snake was fast and strong; it moved quickly, close to the ground where the air was cleanest; being a creature that spent much of its time underwater it could last a long time without breathing and the forked tongue tasted the air, smelling it without the need for taking the poisonous smoke in. The hard scales covering its body also offered a small amount of protection from the heat and the sharp remnants of concrete and steel that jutted out everywhere.

He reached them both, the snake's enormous strength able to remove much of the debris covering them. He wrapped ten feet of his lower body around Raven and the unconscious girl and headed for the nearest exit. The metallic door was closed, but he simply coiled up and butted into the door head-first, like a battering ram. The door flew outwards and the anaconda slithered out.

* * *

"She'll be fine, man, don't worry! Now that she's out of the smoke she'll be fine!" the rookie tried to reassure him as he placed an oxygen mask over Raven's mouth and nose. His older partner was doing the same with the rescued girl. Garfield just glanced at him, then turned his glowing, emerald eyes back to Raven.

"What about the rest?" he asked in a brittle voice.

"Nothing serious. Some second-degree burns, minor lacerations and bruises. No broken bones No internal damage. I'm tellin' ya, she'll be fine!"

As if to confirm the diagnosis, Raven's eyelids fluttered open. Her breathing was still short, but much more regular. She looked at Changeling and her hand beckoned him to get closer. He bent his head over hers as she pulled the oxygen mask a little off her mouth to be able to speak.

"What does… a girl… have to do… for you to… give her CPR?"

For a moment he glared at her, but his anger and fear were almost immediately blown away by the intense relief that swept over him.

"You could try just asking next time, mamma!"

"It wouldn't be… as much fun."

He rolled his eyes and tried to scowl at her but couldn't help his face splitting into a huge grin. She returned the oxygen mask to her face and breathed deeply from it.

"As soon as you feel better we're going back to the Tower" he said. "I want Chrome Dome to take a look at you and make sure there'll be no lasting harm."

"They're probably still busy with Johnny Rancid" she replied, her breathing almost back to normal. "And you still owe me."

"Owe you?" he frowned.

She removed the oxygen mask and sat up in the stretcher, swinging her legs over and holding onto him to get up. The feelings he was receiving through their bond were unequivocal; she was almost completely recovered and fully capable of getting up by herself. But she was not going to let pass the opportunity to lean onto him and make him put his arms around her.

Her lips grazed his ear. "You owe me the compliments" she whispered.

He shook his head in amazement.

"You never give up, do you?"

"On you? Never!"


	17. Payback

**Payback**

Raven studied herself in the full-length mirror, a small, satisfied smirk crossing her features.

 _It's pretty good, if I say so myself. Thank Azar Starfire is an expert in these things and she could help me. Now if only she can keep her mouth shut for a few hours…_

 _Did you think I'd let it go, Garfield Mark Logan? Did you think I wouldn't avenge myself? You're in for a surprise, my love. Payback's a bitch!_

Her smirk widened, becoming positively vicious.

 _Oh, you're going to get it, Gar. All of it. For what you made me do, for what you had me go through. With compound interest._

Her smirk faded, replaced by a frown, as her mind went back to the events that brought her to this. The disagreement, the argument and the stupid bet. And her stupid conviction that she could resist more than he could.

* * *

She turned her back to him to avoid looking at him, half expecting him to do the same. But he was unsettlingly sure of himself, landing butterfly kisses on her shoulders and the back of her neck. She shivered; he chuckled.

"That's not fair, Gar!"

"All's fair in love and war. You said it yourself."

"You are trying to make me lose the bet!"

"Of course I am, love. That's what you usually do when you bet with someone."

She closed her eyes, unable to stop enjoying his attentions, failing in the attempt to ignore the feeling of his lips on her skin. She shivered again.

 _I will not give him the satisfaction. I can resist. I must resist._

She felt his hands join in the effort. Her eyes flew open.

"Garfield!"

"Mmmmmh?"

"What are you – Oh, _Azar!_ "

"You know what you have to do, love. Just say 'Stop' and I'll do it, and lose the bet into the bargain. Stay silent and I'll win."

She tried. Azar knew, she tried. But after a few minutes, she finally gave up and turned to face him.

"Don't you _dare_ stop, Garfield!" she whispered fiercely before kissing him.

* * *

She watched him as he stretched, an insufferably smug grin on his face. He looked like a cat that just got away with stealing the cream pot. Which, in a sense, was exactly what happened.

"I think I'll start with breakfast in bed. Non-dairy pancakes, strawberry jam, toast, tofu eggs and hash browns. Do hurry, love, willya?"

She grumbled and got out of bed, dressing herself. She shot him a furious glance. "You'd better not be thinking of pushing this too far –"

"Twenty four hours of servitude, love. That's what the bet was. You have to obey my every command and attend to my every whim for the next twenty four hours."

Her frown became a scowl. Black mist started gathering around her head. Her hair started to float.

"None of that, now. We wouldn't want everyone to think that you're a sore loser, would we? Let's see a smile on that beautiful face."

She forced her anger back down. She was certain she could hear her face muscles creak in protest as a smile – better described as a cramped rictus – spread over her features.

"The Master does realize he's running a tab here?" she asked sarcastically, her eyes deadly.

"'Master'? Hmmm. I like that. You can keep calling me that."

A growl started escaping from her throat, together with some reddish-black smoke that curled from the corners of her eyes, her nostrils and her mouth. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together.

"Of course, Master. Your breakfast will be here shortly" she smiled sweetly and left the room.

Garfield relaxed back into the pillows, his hands behind his head, a large grin on his face.

 _I'm gonna catch seven different kinds of Hell for this anyway. I may as well make it worth it. Oh, Rae, my love, you're in for a hard day._

* * *

"Did the Master enjoy his breakfast?"

"I certainly did. Now it's time for a massage, I think" he said, turning to lie down on his stomach.

"A _what?_ "

"You heard me. I'm a bit tense. You can start with the neck and work down from there."

"Maybe I can start by _wringing_ your neck" she hissed, her eyes flashing red. "You are beginning to –"

"Only beginning? I'll have to think harder, then" he snickered, looking at her through one mischievous eye.

She clenched her fists and swallowed her fury. "As the Master wishes" she growled and bent over him.

Fifteen minutes later, she felt him through their bond to make sure he was really asleep and not faking it before allowing herself a small smile. She actually enjoyed giving him the massage, feeling the tenseness leave him, sensing his muscles relax and his mind drifting off into a peaceful doze. She sat on the bed beside him, watching him and thinking.

* * *

 _I should've been thankful for the relaxing interlude,_ Raven thought as she walked to the Ops room, the sound of her teeth grinding against each other quite audible. _He is really going too far!_

"Victor" she grumbled in the way of greeting as she glided, fuming, into the Ops room.

"Hey, Rae!" the half-robot replied, used to her moodiness. "Just about ready to start makin' us lunch. Anything you'd care to suggest?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Barbecued tofu dogs."

Cyborg looked at her as if she had suddenly sprouted another head. With antlers.

"Um… since when do you eat those?"

"I don't, Vic! Is it such a great leap of imagination to deduce that they're for Garfield?"

Cyborg frowned. "If he likes them so much, he can prepare them himself. I'm not defiling my barbecue with that tofu-dog aberration. I'd have to scrub it down after to get the taste out, and –"

"Please!" she cut him off, then looked at him pleadingly. "Can you do it for me?"

He lifted his eyebrow, watching her carefully. Realization dawned on him. "You lost a bet to him?" he asked with a sudden grin.

"I don't want to talk about it! Now what about those tofu dogs?"

A malicious grin spread over his face. "Of course, little sis" he said. "But there are two conditions."

She sighed. "Go ahead, kick me while I'm down. What is it?"

He chuckled. "You'll set aside one afternoon next week to help me with the T-Car. And you'll scrub and clean my barbecue from any vestige of that tofu abomination. Deal?"

Raven fought the smile that threatened to spread across her face. She actually enjoyed helping Cyborg with his car, and cleaning the barbecue was a simple task of phasing away all the grime with her power, needing little more than a snap of her fingers. Cyborg was offering her a lifeline while making it look like he was playing Gar's game.

"You have a deal" she growled at Cyborg and left the Ops room while he watched her, an amused smile on his face.

* * *

Lunch itself was slow torture. He kept demanding all sorts of small things – the soda is not cold, bring me another one from the fridge; this ketchup is too mild, bring me the hot one; why don't you slice me up an onion, they go so well with the dogs… She could feel blood slowly creeping up her cheeks and her eyes lighting up dangerously. She was certain that their friends noticed it also, because they all excused themselves very quickly and left the Ops room, probably trying to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

And then came the icing on the cake.

"Here, I left you one."

"You know I don't eat that –"

He lifted an eyebrow. She choked down her anger, then rolled her eyes. "All right, give it here."

"Proper addressing, love. Never forget."

Her eyes flashed red. For a moment he thought he went too far, but then she relaxed.

"As the Master commands" she said and sat down to eat.

He watched her as she ate, his green eyes glowing with amusement. "Be a dear and clean things up when you finish. You can also do the dishes!"

"Wasn't it your turn to – sorry, dumb question."

He flashed her a grin and sauntered over to the couch, turning on the TV. She finished the dishes quickly – her power made it an easy task to clean them – and sat beside him, scowling. He muted the TV, turned to her and smiled.

"Put some music on, willya? Something nice, but with rhythm."

She sighed. At least that was not too bad. She went to the console and selected a playlist, then floated back to the couch as the music filled the room.

"Don't sit" he stopped her, his eyes darkening. "Dance."

Her eyes went wide, her cheeks red. "Are you serious?"

"Never been more serious in my life. Dance for me."

Her eyes filled with fury. "That's _it_ , Garfield. This is the _last straw!_ I will not –"

Garfield's eyes shone like polished malachite. "Dance for me. Please."

She bit her lip, the color of her face darkening into beet. "The Master's wish is my command."

Her hand went to the clasp of her cloak, but he interrupted her. "Don't. Keep it on."

She blushed even more, then started moving in a barely remembered Azarathian ceremonial dance. She stumbled a bit at first, but then muscle memory took over and she began gliding smoothly over the floor, her cloak fluttering around her. As she relaxed, her own feelings started affecting her, defining her steps and shaping the way she moved. Her dance sped up and her movements became more intense, her magic manifesting and making her leaps higher and longer, her pirouettes lifting her off the ground, the cloak whirling around her, hands entwined around each other straight up above her head, eyes closed as she now focused dreamily on the dancing, excluding out everything else. She spiraled and twirled, floated and jumped, slipped and soared, her cloak streaming behind her and around her, now hiding her from view, then opening up to reveal her, the pale skin flashing briefly before it hid again, blushing pink from the exertion and the feelings pervading her, until she dropped to one knee, the cloak settling down around her to cover her completely, a dark blue mound shifting softly in sync with her heavy breathing.

Changeling rose from the couch and approached her, offering her his hand. She took it and got up.

"Take us to your room, love" he said, his voice a hoarse whisper.

She nodded, still winded from the effort. She waved her hand and they stepped through the portal into the silent, familiar, welcoming gloom.

* * *

"I do not see why you are so angry at friend Changeling and wish so hard to do the returning of the favor to him" Starfire wondered. "By your own admission, the entire episode had the nice ending" she said, smiling crookedly at Raven.

"It's not that I'm _angry_ , Kori" Raven replied. "But he does have to learn that his actions have consequences. What I have in mind is a… lesson, if you will."

Starfire's small eyebrows went up. "What is it that you have on the mind, friend Raven?"

Raven bent her head and whispered in Starfire's ear for a while. Her expression went through interested to surprised to positively sly.

"I will most definitely help you!" Starfire exclaimed. "Your idea has much of what is the commendable. But I do have a request!"

Raven's eyebrow went up. "A request?"

Starfire nodded vigorously. "I wish to know the… effects… that it had on friend Changeling" she said impishly, then added quickly "Only in a general sense!" as she noticed Raven's brow crease.

As understanding struck her, Raven could not keep back a giggle. "You want to spring it later on Richard?"

"I wish to keep it as an option in case there is the necessity" Starfire smirked. "You know that dear Dick can get somewhat of the intractable at times."

Raven chuckled. "He can indeed. And I can't think of a better way to set him… back on track" she concluded with a mischievous smile.

Starfire clapped her hands in joy. "Glorious! Shall we go then to the mall of shopping?"

"I'm right behind you, Star!"

* * *

"I'm here, love. You wanted something?" he said as he entered her room, his eyes quickly adjusting to the familiar gloom.

"Yes, Gar. I need your opinion."

"Sure. What is it?"

She stood before him, wrapped in her cloak, hood up, floating about an inch off the floor. Her hand went to the clasp of the cloak.

"I need to know if you like _this_ " she said and let the cloak fall to the floor.

His jaw dropped and his eyes widened as they slid down, then slowly returned up. His breath shortened and his hands became claws, slowly clenching into fists.

"Well?" she asked, but he didn't hear. He was simply mesmerized by the sight of the pale, almost glowing skin contrasting with the black, gossamer lace, as if sheer black foam had solidified on her body. His hand went up; he wanted to touch it, gently, almost fearfully, to make sure it was real and not made from black spiderweb. He wished his hand to feel the dark, silky surface of the stockings, to sense if it was as smooth as the skin it both hid and revealed.

He stepped closer. She could see the look in his eyes, the feral snarl starting to form on his face, a growl emerging from his throat. "I suppose that's a 'yes'" she smirked.

His arms reached for her, his legs taking him closer. There was no force on Earth that could stop him. He would brush aside steel, walk through reinforced concrete, just to get close to her, to touch her, to kiss her. He was almost upon her when he felt her index finger landing on his lips softly, stopping him cold in his tracks.

"You'll have to earn this, Gar" she snickered. Her cloak was enveloped in black mist, rising from the floor and wrapping itself around her shoulders, shutting off the vision that was in front of him. A small, almost desperate whine came from him.

She levitated a little higher, to be level with his eyes. Her finger was still on his lips, her face coming closer, her scent and her heat making him dizzy. He gazed into those violet depths, seeing the mischief glowing inside.

"You can start by thinking what I would like for breakfast in bed tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I will find some other tasks for you, hmmm?"

The only thing that could come out of his throat were a few choked growls. Her smirk widened and her finger pushed him gently but irresistibly out of her room.

"Good night, Garfield. Don't forget my breakfast."

Her door closed. He stared at it for a minute before the daze left him, then chuckled. His chuckle turned into full laughter as he walked to his room, shaking his head.


	18. Decisions

**Author's Notes:**

A short one about something that's been on my mind for a long time. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 **Decisions**

"Five eighths, box."

The appropriate wrench lifted off by itself from the wall where it hung beside its siblings and floated, encased in a black mist, into Cyborg's awaiting hand.

"Five eighths, socket. Gimme the short extender, also."

More tools floated over. Cyborg busied himself with them and for a few seconds the only sound in the Tower's garage was the ratcheting of the socket wrench as the bolts were tightened.

The tools clanged as Cyborg dropped them to the floor, his hand going for an oily rag, using it to wipe carefully his handiwork.

"Let's see if that helped."

The tools floated back and nestled into their appropriate places on the wall. Cyborg lowered the hoisted T-Car a little, opened the door and pressed the starter, then ducked under it again, watching carefully. A soft curse escaped his lips.

"It's still leaking!"

"I told you it wasn't the gasket" Raven smirked. "It's the hose."

Cyborg turned his back to her, ignoring her. He switched off the ignition and raised the car again, while a soft grumbling drone flowed from his barely moving lips.

"WhatcouldagirlknowaboutcarsanywaynotlikeImgonnalistentoagirltryingtoteachmemechanicsgrumblemumble"

"Sorry, did you say something?" Raven's smirk widened.

"What's Gar been up to?" he said in a normal voice, his eyes studying the offending hose hatefully. "Flathead screwdriver."

The tool landed into his hand. "He's having a blast with Timmy and Teether."

He loosened the hose clamp and followed the rubber tube to the other end, feeling for the screw on the second clamp.

"Finally found someone of his own mental age, huh? _OW!_ " he shouted as the screwdriver turned black, twisted in his hand and jabbed him hard, leaving a small scrape on the titanium.

He glared at Raven. "I do have pain and pressure receptors, y'know?"

"Good" she scowled at him. "I was hoping you had."

He stepped from under the T-Car and looked at her. "Aren't we getting a bit overprotective?"

"How can you say such a thing? You of all people!" she said sharply. "He's not a child any more!"

"He never was" he said, looking at her reproachfully, then ducked under the car again. "I saw that the first day I met him." His head turned, his human eye watching her with amusement. "Much before you did, little sis."

Raven blushed deeply. "Sorry, Vic. It's just that…"

"You know me better than to think that I'd go around insulting him" he shrugged, returning to his search for the other end of the hose. "Y'all need to learn to take a joke every now and then."

"I said, I'm sorry! You don't need to rub it in!"

The second hose clamp was loosened and the offending tube removed. Cyborg studied it carefully, searching for holes or fissures.

"That sort of talkin' comes from insecurity" Cyborg said off-hand, as if an afterthought, then looked up and held Raven's eyes in his gaze. "What's goin' on with y'all?"

She returned the gaze defiantly at first, but her cheeks quickly colored again and she finally looked down. "Nothing's going on. Everything's fine."

"I see" he said, walking over to a tool cabinet and opening one of the drawers. Affection, concern and anger at her evasiveness flowed from him, filling her mouth with a bitter taste. She sighed.

"It's not Gar. It's me."

He looked at her with an eye as expressionless as his implant. He was still angry. "That figures" he drawled, comparing several pieces of thin rubber hosing to the sample in his hand. "Y'all ain't tellin' me nuthin' ah don't know already."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He selected a length of tubing and walked over to the car. "When Grass Stain gives himself out, he gives out all of him. It's you that's always reserved, controlled and afraid to open up."

Her eyes flared. "Not with him!" she almost shouted. "Never with him!"

"Of course not, little sis" he said soothingly, coming close to her and putting his huge metallic paws on her slender shoulders. "I know how much you love him. It's something else, and I've noticed it." He tapped his implant with a finger, smiling at her. "Ole Uncle Cy, he sees all. You're reluctant to take the next step, and you're worried that he'll love you less for it."

"If by 'next step' you mean… you know, _that_ , well, that's not it" she growled.

He snorted. "Y'all really think we're all blind and dumb? No, that's not what I mean."

"Then what _do_ you mean?" she almost snarled, the frustration finally bursting out of her.

"Same thing you've been thinkin'" he grinned, then his face became serious and his hands squeezed her shoulders. "Y'all's worrying too much about it. Billions of people did it already. It's no big deal. Go for it."

"How many people with serum-altered DNA? How many half-demons?" she countered, scowling.

"Probably none" he said with an understanding smile, then turned and ducked under the T-Car. "But that don't mean y'all have to twist yerself outta shape about it. Mother Nature has a way of dealing with those kinds of things."

"Mother Nature is a cold, heartless bitch and you know that, Cyborg!"

He gazed at her from under the T-Car. "I just can't see him blaming you if something goes wrong."

"Can you see me blaming myself?"

"Of course I can. And I'll be happy to beat some sense into you if y'all start doin' it."

She smiled. "I bet you would."

He grinned at her and walked from under the car, lowering the hoist and starting the engine.

"Should I ask him?" came her sudden, anxious question.

"That's for you to decide" he said as he revved the engine, observing the repaired part. "You can ask him, or just spring it on him. Don't think he'd mind however you decide to go about it. In any case, I'll follow your lead all the way." He turned off the engine, lowered the hoist completely and turned to her. "If you're as good at that as you're at mechanics, I have no reason to worry!"

* * *

"All right, kids, time for bed" she said sternly, glaring at her husband. "And I mean _all_ the kids!"

The green puppy stopped fighting Timmy for the slobbered ball and transformed itself into his human form, returning a grin to her glare.

"Awww, Rae, we were having _fun!_ "

"I've noticed" she said dryly, but then a smile spread over her face. "You'll have time enough tomorrow. Get them into bed while I fetch Melvin."

Changeling sprang up. "OK, kids, you heard the boss!"

Timmy looked like he would fall into one of his tantrums, but he caught sight of Raven's lifted eyebrow and thought better of it. He sauntered over to her and looked up.

"Goodnight kiss?"

Raven frowned. Even though she was now comfortable with sharing her emotions with Garfield, indulging in them with _others_ was stretching it quite a bit. Noticing it, Timmy's lips trembled and his eyes misted. He took a deep breath and his mouth opened. Raven's eyes rolled as she recognized the danger signs.

She sighed, bent and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Timmy. Sleep well."

Timmy beamed. "What about a bedtime story?" he asked, hopeful.

"Don't push it" Raven growled back, the frown returning to her face.

"Guess I'll have to tell you one!" Garfield said as he walked over, Teether in his arms, already asleep on his shoulder. He took Timmy's hand, grinned at Raven and went off to take the kids to their room. Raven smiled, whispered her mantra and phased up through the ceiling and to the Tower's roof.

She floated over to where Melvin was sitting in the company of Bobby. Raven eyed the huge teddy bear, as always slightly apprehensive of the overgrown, deadly plush toy.

"Time for bed, young lady" she said as she placed a hand gently on Melvin's shoulder. "It's late already."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Are we going to have the same argument again?"

"Just a few more minutes? Please?"

Raven lowered herself beside her. "You don't want to leave Bobby alone?"

The girl stole a quick glance at her and nodded shyly.

Raven sighed and looked at the sky. The weather was warm, the night promising to be mild.

"I guess I could bring you a sleeping bag if you don't mind sleeping on the concrete."

Melvin's eyes sparkled. "You… you would? I'd love it! I'll have no problem sleeping on the floor, I swear!"

"OK, but if you're cold or if anything happens, I want you back inside right away. Do we have a deal?"

Melvin nodded vigorously. "Bobby will watch over me. He always does."

"I know" Raven said, then whispered conspiratorially in Melvin's ear. "He scares me a bit, you know."

The young girl giggled. "I never thought _anything_ could scare you!" She beckoned for Raven to get closer, then whispered back at her.

"You know, Bobby is a bit scared of you, too!"

Raven smiled. "What about you?"

A sunny smile answered her. "Only when you're angry."

"Good. Keep it that way."

She gave Melvin a kiss on the top of her head, then phased through the roof, to return a few minutes later with a sleeping bag.

"Here you go. Don't stay up late and go to your room if it gets cold."

"I will!"

"Hmmm. I wonder." She turned to the giant teddy bear, standing silent to the side.

"Bobby? Make sure she goes back to her room if it gets cold or if it starts raining, or if there are any problems. Can I count on you for that?"

A quiet rumble, a nod of the large head.

"Good night to both of you, then" she said, created a portal and went through it to her room.

* * *

She looked at the small, flat box in her hand, drumming her fingers gently on it, then made a decision and returned it unopened to the nightstand drawer she took it from. She stretched, yawned and slid under the sheets, straight into Garfield's welcoming arms.

"Mmmm. Gar" she tried to say, but he was too busy kissing her.

"Gar!" she tried again. It was getting difficult to keep a clear mind. Her own desire was being roused by his clever hands and lips, and his love and passion were overwhelming her as they flowed into her through her empathic sense and the bond they shared, making her head spin and her breath shorten. She forced one of her hands to trace up to his face, covering his lips with her fingers.

"Garfield, wait. There's something… we need to decide."

He kissed her fingers and his hand stroked her hair. "Hmmm?"

"I've… I didn't take the pill tonight. I don't think I'll be taking them for a while."

He was suddenly tense, gazing at her, silent, his eyes glowing, his emotions a jumble. She wasn't able to read anything definite, it was all just too much and too mixed up. Her throat tightened. His eyes were locked on hers, barely blinking.

She looked away.

"I… I'm sorry. Forget it, I just… I'll take it."

His arms closed around her almost painfully.

"Don't."

She looked up, meeting his gaze again. His feelings were still a roaring maelstrom, impossible to unravel, but a blinding star of sheer joy shone through, getting stronger every moment, filling her soul to overflowing.

"You think we… should try?" she whispered.

He didn't answer. He just pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and let herself go.


	19. Cravings

**Author's Note:**

I owed this chapter to Allen Blaster for months. It's finally time to repay my debt. Hope you like it, Allen!

* * *

 **Cravings**

Garfield could've been forgiven for letting his guard down for a moment. After all, not only was he completely relaxed, enjoying the afterglow of their lovemaking, his wife's head pillowed lovingly on his shoulder and his arms folded tenderly around her, but he could also _smell it._ He could smell the new scent that came from her since a few days ago, the scent that filled him with joy; it was indescribable and overwhelming, it was something that he never felt before. It brought a sense of being complete and fulfilled, a feeling of accomplishing his life's work.

He felt Raven shift and her arm across his chest curled around his shoulder demanding that he turn towards her. He moved as she wished, ending on his side, facing her, their noses almost touching. He tried to kiss her, but her head bent down and he ended up kissing her nose instead of her lips. She nuzzled him a bit, then lifted her head back and whispered, her lips brushing softly and teasingly against his own as she spoke.

"When were you planning to let me know?"

"To let you know what?" he said, trying to appear the image of innocence, cursing himself, knowing very well it wouldn't work. She had felt his emotions and she _knew._

"How long have you known? A week?"

He tried to kiss her again and pull the conversation onto a different topic, or even better, draw her mind away from it completely. But again she just moved her head slightly and avoided his kiss, a smirk curling on her face as she looked at him and whispered, making sure that her lips caressed his while she did it.

"You know. You can probably smell it on me. But you didn't tell me. When were you going to tell me, Gar?"

He started to feel light-headed, the constant, feathery touch of her lips slowly bringing his blood up to a boil. And yet he knew her well enough to realize that this time he was in for trouble. She would not relent and would not give him any mercy until he confessed. She was going to tease him and torture him and play with him, stoking the fire that was kindling anew in him, denying him the satisfaction of the craving that she was building up in him, smiling as she saw and felt the shivers coursing through his body, the involuntary spasming and trembling of his muscles, the tension that grew in him quickly to painful levels. Worse, it would just be the start. It was obvious that she was going to make him pay for being silent about it, that she was going to leave him gasping and squirming and whimpering to be released. And he was going to love every delightful second.

"I still don't… don't know what you're… mmmmh… talking about!"

Her eyebrow went up, as if surprised at his resilience. She shifted her position a bit, the sheets sliding off partly and revealing tantalizing glimpses of her achingly beautiful body to his eyes. His hand moved without thinking; he knew he should remain as motionless as possible, but he just couldn't help himself. Her smirk widened and her eyes took a reddish tint. A ring of black force gripped his wrist, moving it away and immobilizing it like a steel trap.

Her lips glided over his face and to his ear. He started shaking.

"Oh, but I think you do, Gar. Now, then. How long have you known?"

"How long… have I known… what?" he tried to buy time and think of something else. But his mind was quickly deserting him and her continued sweet torment started bringing up the part of him that was usually dormant, the buried, animalistic spirit of primal instincts and desires, the spirit – the Beast – that only she could awaken, and only if she was in danger or if she… if she… oh, God, if she kept on doing _that_.

She sensed it and her smirk became a grin. Her eyes were fully red now and another set of eyes slowly opened above her brows, scorching red hunger roiling in them as they stared possessively at him. Her teeth sharpened and became almost shark-like, their bite gentle and savage at the same time, tightening on the razor's edge between pain and pleasure, just hard enough to puncture the skin and bring out a few tiny red pearls that she licked off with a satisfied growl.

 _Tell me!_ her desire whispered at him through their bond. _Tell her!_ the Beast roared at him. _Give it up!_ all his senses howled at him, supersaturated with sensation yet craving even more, wishing the delicious martyrdom to continue and grow and expand and envelop him and fill his body and mind and soul until there was nothing else, because there _was_ nothing else, nothing that mattered, nothing that he cared about except the Ouroboros of his passion, biting its tail and feeding on itself, overflowing and overwhelming him completely.

"Arrrg weerrrrkrgh…" he gave in finally, admitting it, not able to withstand the multiple assault. She never paused in her excruciating work, now using not only her hands and mouth, but her entire body. He fought against the magical restraints, the Beast completely taking over his mind, the craving he felt for her becoming the only reference point that existed in his universe.

She stopped for a moment, her blazing gaze roaming over him to come to a stop over the dark, polished malachite of his eyes. Again she grinned as he snarled at her, then the restraints on his wrists were gone and his claws reached for her.

* * *

Raven woke up, still feeling wonderfully exhausted, but also in quite a bit of pain. She snuggled up to Garfield, listening to his soft snoring, reveling in the joy she felt. Eyes still closed, she released her soul-self and concentrated it on the small bundle of cells that were dividing and growing in her. As she already knew, it was healthy, unharmed and untroubled, but she couldn't help making sure. The ends of her lips turned up into a small, contented smile. No matter the heights of passion or the depths of rage, neither the Beast nor the demon would do anything to harm it. Satisfied, she turned her attention elsewhere and began healing the worst of the bites and the gouges, both on him and on her.

She heard sniffing and opened her eyes to see an obviously anxious Garfield taking in her scent, nostrils flaring.

"Everything's OK, Gar. No need to worry."

He looked at her, deep concern in his eyes. "As… fantastic as that was, I don't think we should indulge in it for a while" he said with a slight frown.

She kissed him. "In making love?"

"Um, no. In whatever _that_ was."

She giggled, then landed another light kiss on his lips. "Do you really think the Beast would hurt its cub?"

" _No!_ " came his shout before he even realized he did it. He blushed. "No, of course not" he said in a normal voice, still confused because of his outburst.

"There, you see? Nothing to worry about, then." She kissed him again and nestled closer.

She felt his concern diminish, but it did not disappear. She sighed quietly. He'll need some time, but he'll understand.

"Rae?"

"Hmmmm?"

He propped himself on an elbow and looked at her accusingly.

"You also knew. You knew you were pregnant, and you didn't tell me."

* * *

"It's OK, Rae" Changeling said, desperately trying to soothe her. "Calm down. It's just Victor trying to get an ultrasound image. It's OK. You don't need to worry. Put him down and release him."

Raven was on the infirmary bed, her belly naked, covered in gel and slightly swollen after almost twenty weeks of pregnancy. Her four blazing eyes swiveled to look at Garfield, their attention turned for a moment from the half-robot suspended in mid-air and enveloped in several black tentacles, struggling uselessly, trying to free himself.

She snapped at him, her razor-sharp teeth clacking loudly and menacingly as they closed near his face. Her voice came out in a disturbing mixture of high and low tones.

 _That thing he uses shouts at our spawn. He is trying to harm it!_

"He's not, Rae. It's Vic. You know him. You know he'd never do something like that. He's just trying to get an image, to know if everything's OK. Calm down, it won't harm the baby."

The hellfire that blazed at him from her eyes slowly faded.

 _You are certain? You will stake your soul on that?_

Garfield swallowed. "I will."

The tentacles lowered Cyborg and released him, then retreated back. All except two. One wrapped itself around Garfield's neck and pulled him closer, while another wound up around his thighs.

 _You will wish for the release of death if it is not so._

He shivered, then an idea struck him. He scowled and bared his teeth. "Nothing will harm our cub while I'm here!" he snarled at her.

The tentacles drew him nearer.

 _Good. In that case I will trust you._

His face was now close to hers. Teeth made for tearing off large chunks of flesh gleamed at him. The tentacle around his thighs moved unsettlingly.

 _And you should know. It is not one. There are two._

The tentacles released him and faded away, her eyes dimmed and became violet again, the red slits above her brow disappearing. Her hands went to her head, covering her face.

"I… I'm sorry, both. It just… burst over me, I didn't even see it coming. I couldn't fight it, I'm sorry…"

"It's OK, Rae. No harm done." He turned to his friend. "You cool, bro?"

Cyborg picked up the ultrasound machine, checking if it was still working. "I'll be fine, but I dunno if I should…"

"Vic, please" Raven interrupted him, still hiding behind her hands. "I don't think anything bad would've happened except for a few nicks and dents. But that is because I know you and trust you."

"Ah sure hope y'all do, little sis" Cyborg said, unconvinced. "But maybe it'll be better if –"

"Victor. Do you really think it'll be safer to have someone unknown try to do it?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I see whatcha mean. I guess I'll just have to break out the bodywork tools so I can hammer out the dents and polish off the scrapes."

Raven blushed deeply and turned her head. Garfield glared at Cyborg, growling.

The half-robot cursed himself under his breath. "Sorry, Rae. Didn't mean it that way. It was just a stupid joke."

Her fists balled up. "I know. It's just that…"

Changeling looked at her with concern. "It's getting stronger, isn't it? You demon half?"

"It's not my _half_ , Gar" she said irritably. "I am not two beings, nor am I schizophrenic. This is who I am. _What_ I am."

"Good" he smiled. "Because that's just the way I love you."

She glared at him, exasperated at first, but she had to bow her head quickly to try and hide another blush creeping up her cheeks. He crouched beside her and took her face in his hands.

"I love you, Rae. I love you with two and with four eyes. With tentacles or without. And I especially love you when I see you so protective of our… brood."

She scowled at him, angry because he was using such coarse words. But a strange feeling suffused her, quickly replacing the anger. He knew what he was doing. Her demonic aspect virtually sang at hearing it. It was beautiful and disquieting, tender and frightening.

 _Demonic love,_ she thought. _Go figure._

She relaxed. "It should be all right. But expect to see me more in this… altered state. The possessive nature of the demon and its desire to protect what it sees as its property will be exceptionally strong. At least until I give birth, maybe even after."

"That's all fine an' dandy, but what if it, y'know, influences the baby somehow?" Cyborg asked, the worry in his voice obvious.

" _NO!_ " they both shouted at him at the same time, then turned to each other, surprised.

"I – _it_ – will do everything in its power to keep the brood – the _babies_ – free of that taint" Raven said, looking at Changeling but speaking to Cyborg. "I – _it_ – knows how much that can hurt. I – _we_ – will not allow it." Garfield just nodded, confirming what he already somehow felt and knew.

"I see you're both quite certain of that" Cyborg said with a smile. "Good. Let's get on with the ultrasound, hmmm? I want to see what's this talk about two babies."

Raven relaxed on the infirmary bed. Cyborg moved, not without a bit of hesitation, to perform the ultrasound scanning. Her eyes tinted red again and her hand grasped Garfield's in a powerful grip.

"Who'd say demons would make good mothers?' Cyborg chuckled, trying to make small talk. Raven frowned at him.

"They don't. A demonspawn is usually discarded, left to fend for itself right after birth. In a world that only respects power and strength, there is no excuse for being weak. If the… child… can survive, good. If not, no one cares, least of all the parents."

Cyborg's eyebrow went up. "Then how…"

"Because I am also human, Victor! My demon half – my demon _heritage_ had to adapt to a different set of circumstances. It learned and grew with me. It was just as receptive to the teachings of the monks of Azarath as my human part. Just as I did, it also found friendship, and…" she looked at Changeling, her face clearing, an affectionate smile lighting her face. "Just as I did, it also found love."

She turned back to Cyborg, the frown reforming on her face. "But it is still a demonic heritage. It is still a force of Chaos and Destruction, still susceptible to Evil. I must never forget that. Nor should you."

"What about our powers?" Changeling blurted out, then blushed. Raven sighed.

"I don't know. Your power is acquired, and usually such traits do not get transferred to offspring. But on the other hand, the change is at the DNA level, so it affects your chromosomes, also. I just don't know."

"And your magic?" Cyborg asked as he moved the plastic hemisphere over her belly, watching the screen. "It's demonic magic, and if the child – children – are going to be kept free of the taint, then your power will not be transferred to them, I guess."

"Again, I'm not sure. What you say is true, but it's not that simple. My magic is woven into my being, it is an inescapable part of me, and it may be that it will be transferred to the babies, but hopefully in a cleansed state, as a pure, intrinsic magic, free from the demonic stain that my father imprinted on it. As I said, I just don't know. We'll have to see."

Cyborg grunted. "Whatever it is, Rae's right. We've got twins here. Too early to see if they're male or female, but –"

"Both" Raven cut him off. "One will be a girl, the other a boy."

"Why is it that I get a feeling I'm wasting my time here?" Cyborg asked wryly. Raven smiled, Changeling laughed.

"Here, take a look at them" Cyborg said as he turned the screen towards them, showing the two babies in her womb. They both leaned over, absorbed in watching the image of their unborn children.

* * *

The green jaguar padded soundlessly through the Brazilian rainforest, only the glow in its eyes and the restless twitching of its ears betraying its irritation.

 _Of course, it could not be something simple, like avocado ice cream or fresh strawberries in the middle of winter._

It sniffed the humid, sticky air, loaded with the cloying fragrance of exotic flowers and the heavy smell of decaying vegetation. A whiff of what he sought for came from above. He looked up, located the plant he was seeking and transformed into a green spider monkey, scurrying up the tall tree with acrobatic agility.

Holding firmly onto the trunk, he transformed into himself and looked inside the cuplike plant. What he was looking for was there, its garish colors alerting to the danger it represented.

 _Good. Another one that's not on the endangered species list. I'll finish soon at this pace._

He quickly scooped it up into a glass jar, closed it and turned back into a green monkey, scampering quickly down.

 _A couple more should be enough._

It took a few additional minutes to collect a reasonable number, after which he turned back on his tracks. The jaguar slithered soundlessly through the undergrowth towards the small clearing where his friend was waiting. He stepped into the clearing and transformed into himself, making his friend jump in consternation.

"Gar! Man, you startled me! Don't do that!"

"Let's go. I've got what I came for."

"You know, you never told me –"

"Trust me, Wally. You're happier not knowing."

Kid Flash shook his head, took hold of his friend and they were gone.

It took only a short time to get back to the Tower. He thanked Wally and strode towards Raven's room, the jar with the captured live specimens in his hand.

 _I wonder what'll be the next one. Cheese from the Moon, I'd wager. Pregnant demons. Just my luck!_

He grinned as he remembered how it all happened.

* * *

A small, green fly was standing on a wall in Raven's room. It was almost invisible in the gloom.

For a moment he had the thought that what he was doing was _wrong,_ and it made his conscience flare up and bother him, but he quickly extinguished it. He was not spying on her, he had to get to the bottom of her strange behavior.

 _And how is that not spying?_ a small part of his mind complained.

 _Oh, shut up and pay attention. You're dying to know yourself, aren't you?_

A few days ago Raven had asked him with an urgent note in her voice for a live pigeon. As strange as the request was, it was easy enough to fulfill; he just flew over to the closest park, transformed into a green cat and soon a living pigeon was delivered to his wife. She thanked him and shooed him out of her room.

A live toad was a bit more difficult, but the good thing of having a Chinatown close by was that you could find almost any small edible animal – and many that not even Cyborg would consider edible – at hand. Again he was given a grateful kiss and was promptly expelled from her room.

The live chicken came next, and it was of course easy enough to obtain, but this time he decided to find out what in the blue blazes she was doing. He shut himself off as much as he could to their bond and calmed down all his emotions, to become as undetectable as possible, then became a literal fly on the wall.

He observed with interest and some surprise what she was doing. When she finished, he transformed back into himself.

"Why were you doing that, Rae?" he asked, sincerely interested.

She shrieked and a bolt of black energy flung him crashing through the window. Annoyed, he changed into a green seagull and flew back through the hole in the glass, again morphing into himself. She ran to him and hugged him fiercely.

"I'm sorry! Are you all right? Did I hurt you? What kind of idiocy came over you to startle me like that? I could've hurt you bad!"

"It's not like I'm not used to it, y'know…"

" _Not funny, Gar!_ "

"OK, OK, cool down. I'm fine, nothing broken, not even a scratch."

"I'll be the judge of that" she responded coldly. Her hands glowed with a whitish-blue light as she moved them over his body, checking him for damage, starting from the head and then slowly going down.

Changeling grinned at her. "Hmmm. That feels good, love. Enjoying yourself?"

She looked up at him, gelid icicles from her eyes stabbing straight into his.

"There's one part of the window that's still unbroken" she growled.

"Um, OK. I get the message. I'll shut up."

"Make sure you do" she said in a frosty tone, continuing her check, hiding a small smirk.

"You're fine" she concluded with obvious relief. Then her eyes hardened and her voice dropped low, becoming calm and soft. Garfield gulped, recognizing the danger signs.

"You were spying on me?" It was not really a question.

"I wasn't _spying_ " he tried to defend himself.

Her eyes were getting reddish. "What else do you call morphing into a fly and hiding to see what I was doing?"

"Concern for the girl I love" he said truthfully.

She stared at him, the red glow in her eyes dimming, their violet color returning and deepening. "Any other words would have earned you a very grim fate" she said in a monotonous voice. He mentally wiped sweat from his brow.

"So, care to tell me what were you doing? And why were you hiding it?"

She sighed and sat on the bed. "Did it not bother you?"

He shrugged. "I've been animals that have much nastier eating habits than drinking a little blood. Do you know how a spider feeds? Or a starfish? Do you know what a dung-beetle eats?"

She shuddered. "Ugh. I understand."

"So, now that we've cleared that, why? Why do you do it?"

Knowing Garfield was not grossed out at what she had to do helped immensely, but she couldn't avoid shying away, turning her back to him.

"It's… a demon thing. It needs… fresh blood."

"I see. For the babies?"

"Yes. It uses it to maintain the shield that protects them from evil influences."

"And it makes you crave it?"

"Yes. Just like normal pregnancy cravings, except that these are…"

"A bit weirder. I get it." He walked over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She relaxed into his arms, feeling a great weight falling off her chest.

* * *

He walked into her room, the glass jar held victoriously in his hand.

"Poison dart frogs for my love" he proclaimed.

 _Right on time._

A black tentacle floated over and removed the jar from his hands, bringing it closer to the four red, blazing eyes. The top of the jar popped off and rolled on the floor as a gaudily colored frog was enveloped in black mist, floating in between the two rows of triangular, serrated teeth. For anyone else, the crunch of small bones that followed would be sickening, but Garfield used to be a snake, and a stork, and several other animals that loved eating frogs. There was nothing there for him to feel queasy about. He sat beside his demonic wife, glad that she seemed to enjoy the fruit of his labors.

"Are they good, love?"

 _Mmmm. Yes. Crunchy. Spicy._

"Um… are you sure the poison will not harm you? Or harm the… brood?"

The hellfire in the red eyes intensified. _I should send you to the Third Pit of Hell for such an insinuation._

"Sorry! I just wanted to be sure!"

Another frog floated into the demon's mouth. _You have no need to distress yourself. I remove the poison from these animals and use it to make the protective spell stronger. The more potent the poison, the more powerful the spell._

She quickly went through the rest of the frogs, then turned to him, her eyes narrowing, the infernal fire in them blazing again.

 _You have done well and proven yourself worthy. I should thank you properly for this._

"It's OK, I like doing stuff for you, y'know –"

 _Silence. Come here and receive your reward._

A black tentacle coiled around him, dragging him closer.

"If you insist…"


	20. Trust

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the delay in the update. It won't be the last one :-( Currently my priority is to finish the ongoing stories that I have pending, and I'm preparing another long one, but right now I must solve some personal stuff first. In the meantime, enjoy!

* * *

 **Trust**

"If this is who I think it is, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind" Kid Flash grumbled as he got up from bed and put on his pants, stumbling sleepily towards the door. Someone was knocking insistently on it, with no indication of giving up soon.

"Oh, just shut up and give him a hand" Jinx yawned and stretched. "It's important for both of them."

He grinned back at her. "I just hope you'll remember this when you start getting _your_ pregnancy cravings!"

Jinx stretched sinuously on the bed, smirking at him. "Are you suggesting something, Wallace West? Don't tell me that the Terror of the Ladies wants to settle down and start a family!"

Wally turned to her and started to reply, but the constant knocking made him think better of it. He went to the door and opened it.

"Do you have any idea what time it is, Gar?" he complained to the green changeling standing in front of the door, an apologetic grin on his face.

"Sorry!" Garfield said, his hand rubbing the back of his head. "I need a quick trip to Australia!"

"What is it now?" Jinx called from the bed.

"Blue-ringed octopus," came the sheepish reply.

Kid Flash sighed. "Lemme throw some clothes on."

"Really, Garfield, what were you thinking?" Jinx smirked at him from the bed. "Getting a demon pregnant? You deserve everything you're getting, you know!"

Garfield blushed. Deeply. Jinx's eyebrow went up.

"I'm ready. Let's go!" Kid Flash said as he finished dressing, took hold of Garfield and they both disappeared.

Jinx yawned again. There was something in Garfield's reaction… but she was too sleepy. She'd deal with it tomorrow.

She turned off the bedside lamp, fluffed up the pillow to make herself more comfortable, touched the still-warm sheets on Wally's side of the bed, sighed and fell asleep.

* * *

"I hope it's good" he said, watching her anxiously as she blissfully ate.

 _It is. The tetrodotoxin gives it a spicy flavor. Very pleasant._

"Glad to hear it," he mumbled, unconvinced. She turned the gaze of her four red eyes on him.

 _You are still concerned about the venom._

"I am. I mean, just one of those can kill twenty, thirty adult humans…"

 _But I am not human._

His hand went to her forehead, brushing a strand of hair away.

"You are more human than most people I know, Rae."

A grin appeared on her face. It was not a good sign. The snarling teeth were shark-like, serrated and sharp as razors.

 _A demon would take those words as an insult, my beast._

"You're not a demon, either."

Infernal fire blazed in her eyes. With surprising strength she threw him down on the bed, holding his wrists pinned back above his head. Her face came close to his, her breath burning him. The already unsettling tone of her voice became menacing.

 _Do you not trust me?_

Her feelings flooded over him, almost overwhelming him. Fear stabbed at him, sharp and dangerous, making her threatening grin widen as she felt it. But just as soon as it appeared, it was pushed away and replaced by something else. He bared his teeth at her, his fangs gleaming wickedly.

"I trust you with our cubs. I care for them, and for you, more than I do for myself."

Her hands released his wrists and went for his chest. The front of his uniform was torn open. Her teeth clamped down on his shoulder, their sharp points piercing the skin, wrenching out a hiss of mixed pain and lust from his throat. She bit down harder, increasing the pain, using her empathy and their bond to sense and reach the point just before the pain stopped intensifying the pleasure and started interfering with it.

His hands became claws, one of them closing around her neck, the talons on his fingers digging into the smooth, pale skin. A long growl, impatient and demanding, rumbled in his chest. Fighting the urge, he forced his claws away from her throat as she licked off the blood on his shoulder and pulled back, her eyes taking him in, burning with crimson hunger.

"Rae…" he panted.

 _What?_

"The venom… You are not using it only for the protective spell, are you?"

 _Took you a while to figure it out._

"But why? It's not like I love you or desire you less…"

Her eyes flashed and their fire deepened. _It is more fun this way_. _You speak too much for a beast. Stop complaining and enjoy it._

"Who's complaining?" he growled and reached for her.

* * *

Starfire was angry.

Green sparks arced from her blazing emerald eyes, crackling as they coursed over her body to concentrate around her hands, encasing them in an almost solid neon glow.

The target of Starfire's fury glared back at her through four red eyes burning with the flames of all the Pits of Hell, black energy curling up like smoke from them.

The two girls floated up to the middle of the Ops room, facing each other. Their friends watched them, petrified by the suddenness and intensity of the situation.

"That is more than the enough, friend Raven!" Starfire said, the icy cold in her voice contrasting dangerously with the green flame in her eyes. "You shall calm down and apologize to friend Jinx at this immediate instant!"

 _She is bad luck. She will stay away from me, and from my spawn!_

"She is your friend!" Starfire shouted back. "None of us would do anything to cause any of the harm to your _bumgorfs!_ "

The demonic sorceress snarled at the alien. _She will stay away. And I do not apologize to any of you mortals._

A pale hand lifted, black mist gathering around it. Green fire intensified, ready to receive the attack and lash back. Cyborg's arm transformed into a cannon, preparing to knock out any or both of them. Nightwing's hand closed on a flashbang grenade.

A giant green squid wrapped two tentacles around Raven and dragged her down. The grasping appendages transformed into green hands that dug deep into her shoulders. She tore her gaze from Starfire and glared at Changeling, her rage fulminating in a sanguine fire from her four eyes. He met her gaze unflinchingly, his grip tight and indisputable, his silence telling her everything, the malachite cooling down the crimson until the flames in her eyes turned to hot cinders. Her head bowed.

"Kori is right, Rae. You must learn to trust them. They are your friends."

 _It is… not easy._

"I know. But I trust them, and so should you."

She lifted her gaze to look at him. _You trust them?_

"As much as I trust you. With my life and my soul."

She turned away from him abruptly and floated over to the couch, facing Jinx. The pink hexer sat quietly, her face expressionless, devoid even of her trademark smirk. Raven stopped in front of her and studied her silently for a few seconds, then sat down beside her.

 _I am… sorry._

Her hand closed over Jinx's, lifting it and placing it over her swollen belly.

Jinx's smirk returned. She wrapped her other arm around Raven's shoulders, pulled herself closer and kissed the empath's cheek, then suddenly straightened up, her face a study in amazement.

"He's kicking!"

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed and swooped down to sit on the other side of the pregnant demoness, also placing a hand on her belly. The three girls laughed and spoke in muted whispers, giggling. Changeling glanced at Cyborg and spoke quietly.

"Are you recording this, Chrome Dome? Because I have problems believing what I'm seeing!"

Cyborg held his gaze firmly on the incongruous scene playing out on the couch. "You betcha, Evergreen. And I ain't believing it myself."

* * *

"I'm fat!" she whined, contemplating her reflection in the mirror.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, then quickly pushed the feeling down, knowing it would only distress her even more. But she managed to sense it and she turned angrily to him, her violet eyes deep and furious.

"Yes, I am! I'm fat and I'm disfigured! Look at me! It's like I swallowed a huge basketball!"

"Rae…"

"Don't talk to me! This is all your fault! I knew we shouldn't…" her hands went to her face, hiding it. Her shoulders shook.

He was beside her in a flash, his arms enveloping her, his love flowing into her, trying to calm her. "No, you're not. You are the most beautiful girl in the world. I've always thought that. I've always said that."

Her eyes lifted and looked at him accusingly through the wet glistening of her tears. "Like you'd know! All you have eyes for are skinny blondes!"

He stepped back as if she'd slapped him. "Whoa, love. Where did that come from?"

"So it's true, isn't it? You don't care for me any more! I'm too _ugly!_ "

He frowned deeply. "You're talking nonsense, Rae! I haven't had a thought of Terra since –"

" _Don't speak her name!_ " she screamed, then turned away from him, hiding her face again in her hands. He embraced her from behind, bewildered.

"Rae, what's going on? Why are you… What's happening to you?"

She remained silent, sobbing into her hands. He pulled himself together and took a deep breath, her scent flowing into him. He opened himself up to their bond, trying to feel what was going on. His ears listened to the pattern of her breathing and the quick thumping of her heartbeat. He finally understood.

He hugged her tighter. His lips moved over her ear and placed a tiny kiss there before he whispered to her.

"Don't be afraid, Rae. I'll be with you. I'll be at your side all the time. You won't be alone. We'll go through it together. Don't be scared."

He kissed the back of her neck softly, gently, one arm curled around her shoulders, the other stroking her swollen belly. She turned to him and hugged him fiercely, but her size made it awkward. He smiled, careful not to let her see it, scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, laying her carefully on it.

"You'll… be there?" Her voice still trembled slightly, but he could hear and feel that she was coming out of it.

He curled up around her, enveloping her with as much of his body as he could.

"I'll always be there."

She sighed, relaxing finally. She turned her head and kissed him lightly.

"I'm sorry."

He nuzzled her ear. "Don't be. It gives me an excuse to hug you."

* * *

He was strapped in an infirmary bed right beside her own, watching the three of them happily, too tired to move. She was also exhausted, but the sheer joy that burned in her put even Starfire's to shame. It filled his heart and soul, warming and soothing him. He dismissed the pain and the discomfort. It came from _her,_ and if she had to suffer it then he'd be damned if he complained about it.

Changeling knew that the bond he shared with Raven would mirror her feelings and sensations into him while she was giving birth, but he waved away all of Cyborg's suggestions for anesthetics or even painkillers. He had made up his mind; he would go through anything that she had to. He didn't regret it, could not regret it, but curse him if that wasn't the most godawful pain he'd ever experienced.

"You OK, lil' buddy?" Cyborg's concerned question floated into his consciousness. He looked up and nodded.

"Get me outta this!" he croaked weakly, squirming to release himself from the straps that were securing him to the infirmary bed.

"OK, but take it easy. We guys ain't built for this."

Changeling frowned and glared at his friend. "Don't be more of an idiot than what you already are, Chrome Dome!"

Cyborg rolled his eye and grumbled to himself. The metallic hands released the straps and he helped Garfield straighten up to a sitting position. Raven looked at him, her eyes glowing as she hugged the two small bundles to herself.

"Do you want to hold them?" she asked in a half-whisper.

"I'd love nothing more," Changeling replied, smiling. "But I'm so weak I may end up dropping them. Later. We'll have a lot of time."

He tried to get up, but his knees buckled immediately, incapable of supporting him. Cyborg's hand grabbed him and steadied him. He flashed his friend a grateful smile, then leaned closer to study carefully his newly-born children. His face broke into a grin.

"Welcome, Angela and Mark!" he said softly, his grin growing wider and stupider by the moment.

For all her exhaustion, Raven had to chuckle at the sight. "You are an idiot, Garfield Mark Logan," she told him. "I love you."


	21. Storyteller

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I updated. I'm sorry, but since this is a collection of stories it doesn't really matter for continuity, and I have a truckload of other ideas I want to develop...

* * *

 **Storyteller**

"Pwease, auntie Waven?" the little girl whined.

Raven frowned at her, then glared at Sarah. " _Auntie?_ What have you been teaching these kids?"

Sarah hid a giggle behind her hand. "Just tell them a story, Rae. They like your stories."

Raven sighed. "All right, I suppose I can. Just please have them call me something that doesn't make me feel so… old."

Sarah smiled and arranged the small children in a half-circle around Raven, sitting between them and embracing the two smallest ones, one on each side. Raven waited patiently until they were all settled and ready, then made herself comfortable, levitating an inch above the ground in lotus position, her eyes sweeping across the park, making sure everything was right. The older children were busy playing baseball with Cyborg and Changeling, and the baby carriage was safely parked in the shade of a nearby tree, her infant twins sleeping peacefully in it. Satisfied that all was as it should be, she pulled the hood over her head, leaving everything but her mouth in the shadows, her eyes glowing a soft violet from within its depths. She could feel the kids' excitement rise, buoyed up as much by the expectation of the story as by a slight touch of uneasy but delicious apprehension at the sight of the dark, mystic storyteller. Her lips curled up in a small smile and she began her tale.

"A long, long time ago, there was a dragon!" she began, her voice soft and slightly hoarse, but carrying enough for all children to hear well. "A huge, dark, evil dragon called Malchior. He was black as midnight, big as a house, strong as a herd of elephants. His breath was hellfire itself and he was master of powerful magics…"

She opened herself fully to the simple, pure emotions radiating from the kids, letting them wash over her and using them to guide her narrative. It had a mesmerizing effect both on the children and on her, focusing the teller as much as the listeners on the story.

"The powerful wizard Rorek of Nol heard about the plight of the people and hastened to their aid. The villagers tried to persuade him not to go, for the dragon was strong and fierce and merciless. But Rorek heeded them not, and struck out to search for the monster. Following a trail of burned homesteads and scorched fields, he arrived at last at the foot of the mountain where the foul beast made its eyrie…"

A baseball dropped from the sky and bounced and rolled over, coming to rest not far from where they were. Out of the corner of her eye she spied one of the older kids running to pick it up. She dismissed it and returned her attention to the storytelling.

"… and just as the terrible beast was certain it had Rorek at its mercy, the wizard spoke a curse that sucked the dragon into his spellbook and bound it there with powerful magic, to stay imprisoned for a thousand years."

A contented drone rose from her audience. The story was short, but nice. The kids were already slowly getting up to look for other entertainment when a child's voice rang out.

"What happened after the thousand years?"

The question startled her. It was made by the older kid, the same one that came running to pick up the baseball. He held it now in his hand as he crouched behind the small children. He had approached to see what was going on, just to get entangled immediately in Raven's tale.

The little kids began shifting and murmuring. "Yes, Auntie Waven! What happened then?"

"All right, all right! Calm down!" Raven sighed. Now there was no getting out of it. She hid a smile, then growled at the jostling kids and allowed her eyes to glow white for an instant. There was a collective intake of breath and the kids quieted, now all ears.

"By happenstance, Rorek's spellbook came into the possession of a young sorceress," Raven continued the tale. She never thought she would have to tell this part and she wasn't too happy about it, but soon the tide of the children's emotions swept her doubts away and she forgot about her unease. The story flowed out freely and her voice regained that low, captivating tone that pulled the listener in completely.

"Now this sorceress was cursed by an ancient Prophecy," her voice became ominous. "Since she was born, she was told that great evil would come from her, and that she would destroy everything she loved and cared for. So she kept herself aloof, not allowing anyone near, though her soul yearned for friendship and affection."

She felt Garfield and two other kids approach. They were probably looking for the one that was supposed to fetch the baseball, and who was now sitting and listening, entranced and enmeshed in the web of her story. She shrugged it off internally; Garfield knew better than to interrupt her or the children.

"… so Malchior played upon the sorceress' weakness, upon her loneliness and her desire for affection and recognition. And he deceived her with honeyed words and flattering until she was all but lost in his web of deceit. He taught her dark magic, dangerous magic, and he soothed away her apprehension with fake arguments and empty promises. And when he felt that she was completely in his power, he made her release him from the paper prison…"

Nightwing and Starfire returned from their stroll, eating ice cream and holding hands. They sat down quietly in the back. Starfire whispered something in Nightwing's ear and giggled silently. Raven sensed Garfield lower himself beside her, listening intently. Her audience had increased quite a bit since she started, and it looked like it would grow even more; she saw Cyborg and the rest of the older kids approach also.

"The sorceress and her friends gave vicious battle against the terrible black dragon. The sky lit up with green and blue magic, flashed with the silvery streak of swinging swords and slashing claws, burned with the hellfire of the dragon's breath. But it was all in vain; for old and powerful Malchior was, and the heroes were young and inexperienced. One by one he swatted them down, until only the sorceress remained, clutched helplessly in his claw."

Both children and adults listened, bewitched. The smallest kids huddled with Sarah or with the closest older child. Everyone felt the tale drawing to its climactic end, and the anticipation barely allowed them to breathe.

"… and the sorceress recalled Rorek's curse, and spoke it, and captured the evil dragon again within the pages of the spellbook. She made sure to lock it and hide it securely, so that the dragon wouldn't get loose ever again."

Silence fell, but Raven could feel that her audience was still expectant. She raised a puzzled eyebrow. Did she mangle the ending?

"That's not the end," a small child ventured with a whine.

"Yeah, what happened with the sorceress?" an older kid complained. "She was lonely! We want her to be happy! We don't want it to end this way!"

"We want a happy ending! That was not a happy ending!" a general clamor rose from the children.

"I… but there's no more…" Raven stammered ineffectually.

"Oh, but there is!" Garfield spoke suddenly, placing an affectionate arm around Raven's shoulders. "At first, the sorceress hid in her chambers, ashamed and hurt. But a friend came to see her and told her that she wasn't alone, as much as she believed she was. He opened her eyes and made her realize that she did have friends, and people that loved her, and cared for her, and respected her."

The children quieted down quickly, a feeling of satisfaction radiating from them. Raven sighed in relief and fought an urge to kiss Garfield for saving her from the uncomfortable situation. It could wait; she would thank him profusely later, when they were alone.

"Did the sorceress marry her friend?" a small voice piped in. Raven felt heat rising to her face.

"Of course she did!" Garfield came to her rescue again. "They married, and had lots of kids, and lived happily forever after!" he said, then grinned hugely. "They even _kissed!_ " he whispered conspiratorially.

"Eww, _gross!_ " a chorus of disgusted denial swamped them. "Why do grown-ups always have to _ruin_ good stories with all that _kissing?_ "

"That's it, kids! Storytime is over!" Sarah laughed, rose and glanced at Cyborg. "Time for lunch!"

The huge half-robot sprang up. "I'll get the barbecue ready!" he shouted and ran off, followed by a gaggle of laughing youngsters.

Soon Raven and Changeling were left alone. He hugged her tenderly and she snuggled into his embrace, relishing in the feeling of his love pouring into her. Lifting her head, she looked at him and flashed him a crooked smile.

"They had 'lots of kids'?" she growled playfully. "Are the twins not enough for you?"

"Never," he purred. "I was actually hoping we could start working on the next litter… tonight."

"Hmmm. Maybe," she smirked. "But you'll have to do better than that to convince me."

"I could start right away," he waggled his eyebrows at her, making her roll her eyes. He bent his head to kiss her, but she placed a finger on his lips and stopped him, smiling mischievously.

"Kissing? Eww, Garfield. _Gross!_ "


End file.
